Lee Briers takes on shock new coaching role

Former Warrington Wolves star and Wigan Warriors assistant coach Lee Briers has been impressing as assistant coach at Brisbane Broncos and has now taken on a shock new role.

Briers has proven that he can be a top tier coach in his time especially at Wigan and Brisbane.

Now he has taken on the role of England assistant coach alongside Andy Last under the command of former Wigan boss Shaun Wane who he worked with at the Warriors in 2022.

He is not the only former Super League star to take on a shock international role with Paul Wellens taking on the Tonga assistant role under the command of Kristian Woolf.

On this shock appointment, Wellens said on BBC Radio Merseyside:

“I worked as Kristian’s assistant coach for three years when he came to the club. Over that period of time, we became very close colleagues but became good friends off the back of that. Not just myself and Christian but our families also.

“When he approached me a number of weeks ago now about the possibility of helping him out with Tonga. It’s something that I gave careful consideration to, but given the relationship I have with Wolfie, it’s one that excites me.

“First and foremost, getting the opportunity to work with Kristian again, but also doing something a bit different, something that’s obviously challenging when I’m working with a team that I suppose if you said to me four or five years ago, you’d be working with Tonga then I’d never believed you.

“No, I think they’ve been well received by them. Obviously I’ve got a really close working relationship with all those boys, Agnatius (Paasi), Hop (Will Hopoate) and Konnie (Konrad Hurrell”.

“I know in the time they’ve been here, I know what representing Tonga means to those blokes. So yeah, they’ve been totally fine with it. There’s not been a lot said really.

“I think what is obviously important and my priority from now to the end of the season is what happens here. The Tonga role is something that is exciting but that’s obviously a bit further down the track.”

Before that, Wellens has the small matter of trying to win the Super League trophy Tonga boss Kristian Woolf won last year.