Harlequins appoint Amy Turner as Women's Head Coach
The RFU can confirm England U20 head coach Amy Turner has joined Harlequins Women as their new head coach.
Turner will lead the team into their sixth Allianz Premier 15s season and returns to the Stoop having retired as a player in 2018.
The former England scrum half has led the Young Red Roses’ U20 programme since September 2019 and has been fully embedded into Simon Middleton’s England Senior Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 national coaching team as part of World Rugby’s coaching internship programme.
Following retirement, the now 37-year-old started as a performance pathway officer at the RFU, working with selected female players from the ages of 16 to 18 within the centre of excellences and also led on England U20s players. She then took on the role of U20s head coach, a post she’s occupied since.
Turner will be joined by former Bath defence coach Brent Janse van Rensburg, who will assume an assistant coach role in his capacity as Technical Director of Harlequins’ Women’s programme. Ross Chisholm has been appointed in the role of skills coach ahead of the new campaign after working with outgoing head coach Gerard Mullen.
Recruitment for a new U20s head coach is now underway and the application process opens today.
RFU head of performance programmes and pathways, Don Barrell said: “We’re all absolutely made up for Amy and wish her every success.
“Amy is a fantastic example of developing through the coaching pathway, from a performance pathway officer right through to head coach and will now be leading one of our country’s top women’s clubs.
“This is an exciting time for women’s rugby and the pathway. We want to build on the fantastic work Amy has done both on and off the field to continue to push forwards, establishing England’s development pathways as the best in the world.
“Alongside the U20 role, we are also about to open the recruitment process for a Centre of Excellence programme lead who will play a vital role in the pathway. The successful candidate will work with all centre of excellences across the country, supporting their development and closely with the England U18 head coach to support the out of camp programming and observation of high potential U18 players in CoE.