Northampton Saints reveal 5 man coaching ticket as Boyd era beckons

Northampton Saints have confirmed the club’s coaching line-up for next season, with Alan Dickens confirmed as defence coach and Phil Dowson moving to forwards coach.

Last week Matt Ferguson was announced as Saints’ scrum coach, becoming the third new name on the Club’s coaching roster after incoming director of rugby Chris Boyd and backs & attack coach Sam Vesty.

Boyd will arrive at Franklin’s Gardens from the Hurricanes upon the conclusion of the Super Rugby season, while Vesty makes the journey across the Midlands from Worcester Warriors – but two former Saints players in Dickens and Dowson will complete the impressive line-up of English coaches.

Dickens took charge of first-team affairs for most of this season as interim head coach, and will return to the Club’s defence coach role, a postition in which he excelled during Northampton’s trophy-laden period between 2012 and 2016.

Meanwhile Dowson – who made 187 first-team appearances in a six-year playing career at Franklin’s Gardens – moves into the vacant forwards coach position after impressing in his first season coaching.

“I’m thrilled that our coaching set-up is now in place with plenty of time to spare before preseason, and I’m confident Alan, Sam, Phil and Matt will complement each other well,” said Boyd.

“I said when I took this role that I wanted a young English coaching group, and I’m pleased to have assembled one which is highly motivated and ambitious.”

Dickens said: “I’m really looking forward to next season already and I am hugely driven to help the whole squad as much as I can. This season taught me a lot as a coach, and I’m now focused on playing my part within this new coaching team.”

Dowson added: “I feel as though I am learning all the time in this new stage of my career and I jumped at the chance to be a part of this coaching group under Chris Boyd. I can’t wait to get stuck in again in preseason in June.”

Northampton Saints’ coaching team for 2018-19 season:
Chris Boyd – Director of Rugby
Alan Dickens – Defence Coach
Sam Vesty – Backs & Attack Coach
Phil Dowson – Forwards Coach
Matt Ferguson – Assistant Coach (Scrum)