James Kent, Head coach of Luxembourg’s men’s national XV team;
Credit: Luxembourg Rugby
On Monday 16 February 2026, Luxembourg Rugby announced that James Kent, head coach of Luxembourg’s men’s national XV team, has been invited to join the coaching staff of Spain’s women’s national XV as assistant coach and technical analyst ahead of upcoming Rugby World Cup qualification matches.
The announcement comes shortly after the federation completed its rebranding from the Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Rugby (FLR) to Luxembourg Rugby (Lëtzebuerg Rugby in the domestic market).
According to Luxembourg Rugby, during this short-term assignment, James Kent will contribute to on-field sessions, opposition analysis and match preparation as the Spanish team enters a decisive phase of their qualification campaign. His involvement reflects what the federation described as growing recognition of the technical expertise emerging from Luxembourg’s rugby system and strengthening international links within European rugby.
The federation added that “this temporary collaboration with Spain will have no impact on Luxembourg’s international preparations.” The national XV schedule including training, selection and performance work will continue as planned ahead of upcoming Rugby Europe Conference fixtures. James Kent will also remain involved with the national sevens programmes.
Jean-François Boulot, President of Luxembourg Rugby, said: “We are extremely proud that James has been invited to contribute to a Rugby World Cup qualification campaign. This opportunity recognises both the quality of his work and the progress made by Luxembourg rugby in recent years. Such experience is invaluable for smaller rugby nations and will ultimately benefit our players, coaches and programmes.”
James Kent added: “It is a privilege to be welcomed into such a competitive environment. Spain has a strong rugby identity and a high-quality group of players, and I am grateful to Luxembourg Rugby for supporting this opportunity. I look forward to bringing back new knowledge and experience to continue developing our national teams.”
Luxembourg Rugby noted that Spain’s women’s national team competes among the leading European sides outside the Six Nations Championship and has taken part in several editions of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
In the Rugby Europe Conference 2025/2026, Luxembourg’s senior men’s XV team began their campaign with two victories, the most recent coming in early December 2025 against Estonia. The team now face a break of more than four months before hosting Latvia on Saturday 18 April 2026.
