​Bristol Rugby head coach, Paul Hull has stepped down from his role as assistant coach to the England Saxons.

Hull took up the post working alongside head coach, Stuart Lancaster, in January 2009.

Together Lancaster and Hull guided the Saxons to a 66-0 victory against Portugal in the 2009 Six Nations before travelling to Denver for the Churchill Cup, beating Argentina Jaguars (28-20) and USA (56-17) on the way to the final where they lost out to Ireland A.

After arriving home from the USA, Hull returned to Bristol Rugby to resume his new position as Head Coach after the departure of Richard Hill in February 2009.

Explaining his departure from the Saxons, Hull said: "I gave a lot of thought to the decision to leave the Saxons set-up.

“I met with Stuart and we went over the schedules for both Bristol and the Saxons and it became apparent that my time would be spread too thinly."

"When I took up the role in the Saxons I was assistant coach at Bristol and was able to combine the two roles without it affecting one another.

“However, now as head coach, the job is significantly more demanding and I want to give it my full attention. I'm dedicated to Bristol Rugby and our campaign to achieve promotion.

"I also have a young family, and recently learnt that we have another addition on the way.

“Obviously your family always comes first and with my commitment to Bristol Rugby, both myself and Stuart decided that it would be logical for me to step down from the Saxons.

"I would however like to thank Stuart and the coaching team at England Saxons for inviting me to the position at the beginning of the year. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Saxons coaches' and players' and my time with them has provided invaluable experience as I continue my development as a coach and I wish them all the best in their next campaign."

Lancaster said: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank Paul for his contribution to the Saxons last season.

“The management and the players' valued his contribution both on and off the field and wish him and Bristol well for the rest of the season."

An announcement regarding a new Assistant Coach for the England Saxons will be made in due course.