Hong Kong Football Club coach Jack Wiggins to join San Diego Legion in the MLR, in opportunity he ‘couldn’t pass up’

Having taken Hong Kong Football Club to yet another premiership title this season, coach Jack Wiggins is leaving for a new challenge in the US with Major League Rugby side San Diego Legion.

Wiggins has been made assistant coach at the franchise, and handed responsibility for the team’s defence as well as the club’s academy. With the season starting next month, he is expected to leave Hong Kong as soon as possible.

In San Diego, the former Wasps coach will be reunited with head coach Danny Lee, who he worked with in New Zealand at Hawke's Bay in 2014. The pair have kept in touch over the years, which led to the offer of an initial two-year contract.

Calling the decision “a difficult one to make”, Wiggins said the opportunity to work in a “fully professional environment” with the likes of former England captain Chris Robshaw and ex-All Black Ma’a Nonu was too good to pass up.

“I’m excited to work with players of that standard,” Wiggins said. “Coaching is all about working with the players and integrating what they bring and their understanding of the game with what we as coaches can offer, so for me it is really hugely exciting to continue my journey as a coach in that environment.”

Wiggins is joining one of the rugby world’s newest professional leagues in a country many consider to be a sleeping giant when it comes to the game, and a franchise that has fallen off the pace in the past two years, despite consistently finishing in the top three in early seasons.

“Legion had a lot of success in the early days but they have had quite a lot of change in the last year, which presents us with an opportunity to make an imprint on the club, which is really exciting,” Wiggins said.

“When he [Danny Lee] offered me a chance to join the coaching team, I couldn’t pass it up.”