LONDON Welsh have appointed former England hooker Phil Greening as assistant head coach to Danny Wilson.

The 33-year-old, who won 24 England caps in a career which took in Gloucester, Wasps and Sale, has been working at the club on a consultancy basis since February.

Having retired in 2005, Greening has been working with the England Sevens teams for two years, but wants to be more involved in the game on a daily basis.

He said: "London Welsh is a great club at which to develop my coaching skills in a day-to-day, hands-on environment - something I did not have much opportunity to do with England Sevens.

"It's also a club where I can bring my own style. I have been fortunate to learn from working with great players and coaches like Clive Woodward, Warren Gatland, Sean Edwards, John Mitchell and Mike Friday."

As far as Wilson is concerned, Greening will help improve the defence and give the team more professionalism.

He added: "Not only will Phil bring a defensive edge to our game, which was missing last season, but his eye for detail will undoubtedly assist in developing individuals.

"Phil also brings incredibly high standards from a career spent at the top end of the professional game - standards we aspire to, having only turned professional a year ago."