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)
Comments on RugbyPass
Utter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
2 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
2 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
10 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
10 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
10 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
3 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
3 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to commentsCould have been a different result but yet again French tv able to affect the result by not showing the very clear high shot on harlequin centre if this would have been on a French player would have been on screen at least five times
3 Go to commentsAmazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
3 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
2 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
3 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
1 Go to commentsquins is all over the place. The minute they get the ball they panic. Quins can still win tho just need to win all rucks otherwise just don't bother.
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