Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter will join England's coaching team for their tour of Argentina this summer.
The 42-year-old has been announced as the stand-in forwards coach to take Graham Rowntree's place while he is with the British & Irish Lions in Australia.
He will link up with head coach Stuart Lancaster and skills coach Mike Catt before the game against the Barbarians at Twickenham on May 26.
Paul Gustard will join once Saracens' Premiership and Heineken Cup involvement has ended, standing in for Andy Farrell.
Baxter said: "Obviously I am delighted to have been asked to be part of Stuart's coaching team. I see it as a fantastic opportunity for me to do what we keep saying to the players here at the club, which is to keep learning, keep doing better and experience new things.
"For me, this is a fantastic opportunity to experience something different, learn from other coaches such as Stuart, Mike Catt and Paul (Gustard), learn from different experiences and work with some different players.
"As a coaching staff we often talk about how important it is that we work as hard as the players in terms of the things we do. Personally, I see this as a chance to do that, but also a chance to work in a different environment and see what I can bring back to the club."
Baxter has thanked his players and coaching team at Sandy Park for helping him get the recognition from the national set-up.
He thinks it is a reward for all the hard work everyone has put in to make the Chiefs successful over recent seasons.
"The way those people work, along with the players, have given me this opportunity simply because of the hard work they've all put in," said Baxter.
"By having good seasons and good performances, the people that are in charge are seen as doing a good job. I don't think I would get seen quite as well if the team did not perform so well.
"In some ways, it's a nice little reward for those people as well, but as tends to happen when you're the boss, I am the guy that gets the credit. But from my perspective, I like to thank them all of them for their hard work as this is what creates opportunities like this."
The Chiefs have four games left this season, starting with Saturday's trip to Worcester, and Baxter insists the club will be his priority until the end of the campaign.
He said: "I am very pleased to have been considered for the position, but what I have to do now is do a good job for Exeter.
"First and foremost, it's about putting all this to the back of my mind for now and worrying more about it when the season finishes.
"I certainly won't be doing too much before then as we have to get through what is a very important set of fixtures for the club. We've got some very big games coming up and that has to be my main focus."
England are due to play two Tests against Argentina in June, with a couple of midweek games as well to complete the tour.
And Lancaster is pleased Baxter and Gustard will join his coaching staff for the trip as he looks to build on their displays in the Six Nations.
"We are delighted to have two quality coaches who have come through the English system for what will be a hugely significant tour for us and a big thank-you should go to Saracens, Exeter and Premiership Rugby for supporting England in this way," said Lancaster.
"It was important that we found two coaches who could mirror the skill set of Graham (Rowntree) and Andy (Farrell) and come in and keep developing the players within our system.
"Rob, who has done a great job in developing a very competitive Exeter pack, will pick up the set-piece and breakdown.
"We are looking forward to both coaches joining us after their club commitments finish on what is an important tour in our development as a team."
See Thursday's Echo for more on Baxter's role with England.
The 42-year-old has been announced as the stand-in forwards coach to take Graham Rowntree's place while he is with the British & Irish Lions in Australia.
He will link up with head coach Stuart Lancaster and skills coach Mike Catt before the game against the Barbarians at Twickenham on May 26.
Paul Gustard will join once Saracens' Premiership and Heineken Cup involvement has ended, standing in for Andy Farrell.
Baxter said: "Obviously I am delighted to have been asked to be part of Stuart's coaching team. I see it as a fantastic opportunity for me to do what we keep saying to the players here at the club, which is to keep learning, keep doing better and experience new things.
"For me, this is a fantastic opportunity to experience something different, learn from other coaches such as Stuart, Mike Catt and Paul (Gustard), learn from different experiences and work with some different players.
"As a coaching staff we often talk about how important it is that we work as hard as the players in terms of the things we do. Personally, I see this as a chance to do that, but also a chance to work in a different environment and see what I can bring back to the club."
Baxter has thanked his players and coaching team at Sandy Park for helping him get the recognition from the national set-up.
He thinks it is a reward for all the hard work everyone has put in to make the Chiefs successful over recent seasons.
"The way those people work, along with the players, have given me this opportunity simply because of the hard work they've all put in," said Baxter.
"By having good seasons and good performances, the people that are in charge are seen as doing a good job. I don't think I would get seen quite as well if the team did not perform so well.
"In some ways, it's a nice little reward for those people as well, but as tends to happen when you're the boss, I am the guy that gets the credit. But from my perspective, I like to thank them all of them for their hard work as this is what creates opportunities like this."
The Chiefs have four games left this season, starting with Saturday's trip to Worcester, and Baxter insists the club will be his priority until the end of the campaign.
He said: "I am very pleased to have been considered for the position, but what I have to do now is do a good job for Exeter.
"First and foremost, it's about putting all this to the back of my mind for now and worrying more about it when the season finishes.
"I certainly won't be doing too much before then as we have to get through what is a very important set of fixtures for the club. We've got some very big games coming up and that has to be my main focus."
England are due to play two Tests against Argentina in June, with a couple of midweek games as well to complete the tour.
And Lancaster is pleased Baxter and Gustard will join his coaching staff for the trip as he looks to build on their displays in the Six Nations.
"We are delighted to have two quality coaches who have come through the English system for what will be a hugely significant tour for us and a big thank-you should go to Saracens, Exeter and Premiership Rugby for supporting England in this way," said Lancaster.
"It was important that we found two coaches who could mirror the skill set of Graham (Rowntree) and Andy (Farrell) and come in and keep developing the players within our system.
"Rob, who has done a great job in developing a very competitive Exeter pack, will pick up the set-piece and breakdown.
"We are looking forward to both coaches joining us after their club commitments finish on what is an important tour in our development as a team."
See Thursday's Echo for more on Baxter's role with England.
