James Wilson: Exeter appoint New Zealander as new assistant coach

Exeter have appointed James Wilson as their new assistant backs coach.

The 42-year-old New Zealander has most recently been part of the coaching set-up at Southland.

The former back had playing spells at Bath and Northampton in the Premiership as well as spending time playing in his homeland and Japan.

He replaces Ricky Pellow, who left his role as skills coach last month after 16 years as part of Exeter’s coaching set-up.

“We were looking to recruit someone whose specialisms were obviously backs play, skill development and who had worked in a higher rugby environment as we could bring into the club, and James fitted the bill perfectly,” Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Sport.

“His CV is actually pretty impressive for a young coach. Obviously he’s had good Premiership experience playing for both Northampton and Bath, so he knows the Premiership, he knows what it’s about.

“He kind of knows the area from his time in Bath, so that obviously ticks some boxes and then he’s gone over and he’s experienced an amount of success coaching Southland in New Zealand and worked in some roles we’re really interested in around skill development, transition, kicking game, kick development, all those types of stuff.

“He’s added to the skill-set in the coaching group in that whereas Dave Walder’s a half-back, he’s been a back-three player, so he actually kind of adds a depth to us really from a coaching perspective that that we haven’t had before.

“So we’re really pleased with the signing, he’s in now, he’s settled in very quickly and hopefully we’ll see good things from him in the future.”

Wilson played alongside current Exeter forwards coach Ross McMillan during a 94-game spell at Northampton from 2012-17 and also made 26 appearances for Bath.

“Coming back to the Prem was a massive draw for me,” Wilson said.

“I was once a player here and I’ve always wanted to come back to coach in the UK. So when this opportunity came up, I had to jump at it.

“I’d like to get to know as much about the players as possible and ensure that they’re able to trust me and know that whatever I show them, they can take it on and build from it.”