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Academy manager Simon Sinclair set to leave Northampton Saints

By Alex Shaw
Simon Sinclair will be trading in this view for another at the end of the season. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)

It’s shaping up to be a summer of change in a number of Gallagher Premiership academies, with four clubs set to shake up their coaching staffs.

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It was announced back in September that Bath Academy Manager Andy Rock would be stepping up to take on the role of Performance Director next season and the vacancy created by his promotion was finally advertised last week.

In that same week, Harlequins announced that long-serving Academy Director Tony Diprose would be moving on and Leicester Tigers began advertising for a new Academy Head Coach, with Jamie Taylor leaving the club after helping guide them to back-to-back Premiership U18 titles.

The latest name to join this growing list is Simon Sinclair, the Academy Manager at Northampton Saints, who the club announced today would be leaving at the end of the season.

“Simon’s contribution to Saints has been outstanding,” said Northampton CEO Mark Darbon.

“For the last 14 years he has been dedicated to helping develop and progress some of the players we see week in, week out at Franklin’s Gardens.

“He remains one of the most popular figures here at Saints and although we are always disappointed to see someone of his calibre go elsewhere, he leaves with our very best wishes.”

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Sinclair has helped oversee the development of the likes of James Grayson, Ehren Painter and Fraser Dingwall since taking over the role from Dusty Hare in 2017, whilst also playing a role in the emergence of players such as Lewis Ludlam and Mike Haywood during his time as Elite Player Development Manager.

Sinclair, alongside current Academy Head Coach Mark Hopley, has helped Northampton punch above their weight in terms of producing young players, with the region hemmed in heavily by the recruiting grounds of Saracens, Leicester and Wasps.

Grayson, Dingwall and Painter have all featured prominently for Saints this season and are one of the reasons why fans are getting excited about the trajectory of the club with Chris Boyd at the helm, who is rewarding youth with a chance in the first XV. Ludlam has been another to take that opportunity with both hands and the back rower has been one of the most consistently impressive players in the Premiership so far this season.

Saints have also contributed strongly to the current group of England U20s, with Dingwall available when not on club duty and Samson Ma’asi, Alex Coles and Ollie Sleightholme all making their presences felt in the pathway side.

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“Saints has been an enormous part of my life for the last 14 years and I will miss the club greatly,” said Sinclair.

“It has been a privilege to work at an organisation that has allowed me to develop as a coach and trusted me to help develop the next generation of players.

“Leading the Academy has been an incredibly rewarding job and it makes the whole staff very proud to see young players come through the system and put on a first team shirt.

“The Academy has a talented group of staff and I have no doubt they will continue to thrive – I would like to thank them all for their support but in particular Mark Hopley, Paul Shields and Katherine Burrows.

“These are exciting times for Saints and I wish Chris Boyd, the management team and all the staff the very best of luck for the years ahead.”

Sinclair, a former Framlingham College director of sport, is now set to return to the school arena, taking up a role with the Bedford Modern School once he has finished up with Northampton at the end of the season.

Watch: Eddie Jones is aiming to settle a score with Scotland on Saturday

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Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

11 Go to comments
T
Trevor 4 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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