Former Leicester Tigers second-row Richard Blaze has joined the former Heineken Cup Champions coaching team on a full-time basis.
The former Worcester Warriors forward was forced to retire from the game earlier this season at the age of 25 due to a stress fracture of the foot.
When he retired it was announced Blaze would stay on with the club until the end of the season in a coaching capacity but now the position has been made full-time.
"Richard is going to join the coaching team," Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill told Leicester Mercury.
"He has been under contract with us a player and he has been doing the line-out defence and individual coaching with the guys since he retired from playing.
"He will be full time with us next year.
"Richard is just 25 and he should have been playing Test matches this year.
"He would have been playing for England by now if he wasn't injured.
"It's no fun when you are that young and have to retire, but he has dealt with it really well.
"It's really hard having been in this environment all of his life and then it being taken away from him.
"But, luckily, an opportunity has come up here and he will do well.
"Rich already has a connection with the players, who he knows very well having just come out of the game.
"The adjustment from playing to coaching has been easier for him because he is with his friends.
"That will be important for us and it will be a good link between staff and players."
"He understands the game and I think he is going to be a really good coach.
"This is what he wants to do and he will be a big help to me. He is really interested in the game and has been doing his coaching badges too."