Matt Campbell named Loughborough Lightning backs coach after Scarratt's Red Roses move

Loughborough Lightning have appointed Matt Campbell as assistant backs and attack coach, filling the vacancy left by Emily Scarratt, who departed the East Midlands club to join John Mitchell’s England Red Roses staff as a full-time assistant.

Campbell arrives with a strong record in university rugby, having guided Loughborough University to the Women’s BUCS Super Rugby final in each of the past two seasons and ending the programme’s 21-year wait for a title with victory over Brunel University in April. Before joining Loughborough in 2024, he coached both the men’s and women’s teams at Edinburgh University.

Alongside his university role, Campbell served as Lightning’s Under-23 coach, overseeing the pathway between the BUCS programme and the senior professional squad. That work has already produced tangible results, with Haineala Lutui, Amelia Williams, Tamsin Baynes, Carmela Morrall and Lucy Calladine all making the step up to the senior setup under his guidance.

“I’m a naturally competitive person and am always looking to improve,” Campbell said. “Working in this environment gives me a real opportunity to do that and progress as a coach. At Loughborough, the girls are on a similar journey, so I get to go with them on that.”

Lightning finished seven points outside the JAECOO Premiership Women’s Rugby top four last season, and the club have moved decisively in the transfer market ahead of the new campaign. Established names including Helena Rowland, Sadia Kabeya, Daisy Hibbert-Jones and Amelia Williams have been retained, while six Canada internationals — Pamphinette Buisa, Chloe Daniels, Brooke Rempel, Kiki Idowu, Rachel Smith and Florence Symonds — have been recruited.

Campbell is clear on the target. “Top four will always be a benchmark ambition for us as a club in the JAECOO PWR, and it’s becoming harder to achieve every year, but that challenge is equally exciting for us as a group to go out and target.”

He also highlighted the personal development opportunity the role presents, pointing to the influence of head coach Nathan Smith and fellow assistant Rachel Taylor. “Nathan challenges me every day with the professional environment and as a coach, and over the last two years, that’s made a massive difference. Tails is not only a great coach but also a great human and will always go out of her way to help me.”

Campbell added that moving into a single-team weekly cycle, rather than splitting his time between the university and senior programmes, will allow him to focus more fully on player development and his own coaching education through Lightning’s partnership with Northampton Saints.