A former England international has been confirmed to take up a coaching role in Australia, and he will face a Super League academy side in his first match in charge.
Warrington Wolves’ academy are currently enjoying a post-season tour of Australia, as the club look to test their rising stars against some of the best prospects Australia has to offer.
Currently, they on the second week of a near month-long tour, and the Super League Academy Grand Final winners have already seen off the Penrith Panthers academy in impressive fashion, securing a 50-10 win over the junior NRL side.
With two more matches remaining, the squad are now preparing for a match against the Junior New South Wales Blues team, before heading across the country to Queensland, where they will take on Gold Coast Titans’ academy.
In a decision that was announced this week, the young Blues side, which is an invitational squad made up of players from the NSWRL Junior Representatives competitions, will have a brand-new coach for that match against the Wolves, and he comes with plenty of experience both at NRL and international level.
Chris Heighington is an 8-time England international with over 330 NRL games under his belt. A member of the 2017 World Cup squad, the 42-year-old is set to take on the first head coaching role of his career, after being named to lead the young Origin side this off-season.
Heighington replaces former Bradford Bulls and Manly Sea Eagles coach Geoff Toovey in the role, with Toovey taking charge of the side in 2023, as Warrington ventured on their first academy tour of Australia this decade. The former prop is a two-time NRL winner, having won the competition in 2005 with Wests Tigers and 2016 with Cronulla Sharks.
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