NORTH East rugby has always had a knack of producing players for international duty, but the same can now also be said on the coaching side.

Morpeth RFC’s Dave Reed has been selected as head coach for the England Under-18s Clubs and Schools team, with the age-group set-up also including former Newcastle Falcons coaches John Fletcher, Peter Walton and Ian Peel.

Reed, who steps up to head coach after leading the England forwards for the past level at European Rugby Association (AER) level, said: “It is great so many North East coaches are getting the recognition at that level.”

With the previously-complex age-group system now somewhat simplified, Reed added: “There are two England teams at under-18 level – the first being John Fletcher’s side which is made up of players from the RFU academies, basically all 12 Aviva Premiership clubs plus a couple outside of the top-flight.

“Those lads are identified really early, and the likelihood is many of them will have already been involved with England at under-16s level and be contracted to an RFU academy.

“For the England Under-18s Clubs and Schools we involve the rest of the guys who tend to be associated with the academies in some form, but who are mainly playing for their schools or local clubs.

“After our programme they tend to get picked up by the academies more permanently, and a sign of our progress is the fact more of last year’s England Under-20s side came through the Clubs and Schools route rather than the Academy route.”

Complementing rather than competing with the Under-18s Academy outfit, Reed said: “Our players tend be to be later developers and it just shows that it is worth having both options available.

“What the Clubs and Schools team does is say if you miss out when you are 15 or 16 there is still another opportunity open for you.

“We do work closely with the England Under-18s Academy team, and I am on the phone to their coaches all the time.

“It is their full-time job, so they get to watch games all over the country, and they give us information virtually constantly about players and teams.”

Reed will be assisted by Sale Sharks Under-19s coach Giles Heagerty in the England Clubs and Schools set-up, explaining: “We pick the squad in February after the divisional festival, which is basically the old system of North of England, London and the South East, the South West and the Midlands.

“From there we have four weekends at Harlequins’ training complex in Surrey, and then we play two warm-up games before meeting Ireland Under-18s in a full international on April 22 at Saracens’ training ground Old Albanians RFC.”

Revealing his joy at getting the call-up for head coach duties, Reed said: “I have to admit I was jumping up and down when I got the news and I am extremely proud.

“It was a rigorous interview process, but it has been worth it.”

Highlighting his pathway to the role, he added: “I played most of my career at Ryton under a good guy called John Murray, who was a big influence on me in terms of my coaching.

“I started coaching the Northumberland County Under-18s forwards 12 years ago and from there I stepped up to the North of England forwards and eventually on to England forwards coach. To become head coach now just shows that it doesn’t matter where you come from, and that if you work hard enough you will get an opportunity somewhere down the line.”

Coaching Morpeth RFC in North One East, where they have lost just one of their five games to date, Reed’s day job also revolves around the sport.

He said: “I am Northumberland’s rugby development officer, which basically means trying to develop the game in schools and clubs throughout the county.

“The aim is to give clubs and schools the best possible experience of working with the RFU and to help them grow.”

Adamant the region is still producing quality in abundance, he insisted: “The talent is still there.

“If you take Royal Grammar School Newcastle, then they have two or three players in their back-line who are showing huge potential.

“Their full-back Tom Penny will go on to represent England in the next few years, and Newcastle Falcons should be keeping a close eye on him.

“That is just one school as an example, and there are other schools and clubs right across the region doing great work, so there is every reason to be optimistic about the next wave of players coming through for the North East.”

Equally keen to acknowledge the benefits to the professional end of the game, he added: “Newcastle Falcons have been a conveyor belt of talent for years, but unfortunately many of those players have disappeared to other clubs.

“For the Falcons it is about trying to keep their best young players at Kingston Park by returning to winning ways and it is great they are really serious about doing that now.”