Former England and Leicester Tigers lock-turned-coach Deacon joined England Women as forwards coach in August 2021 and became interim head coach following the departure of Simon Middleton in 2023. He arrived from Coventry RFC where he had been forwards coach since the 2017/18 season. Prior to his stint with Coventry, Deacon had coaching roles with England men’s U20s, the Spanish national team and in the Leicester Tigers community department. In his playing career, Deacon won 29 caps for England and was involved in 2011 Rugby World Cup. He is a six-time Premiership winner and two-time European Cup winner with Leicester Tigers having made 274 appearances for the club.