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Tackling Leinster's defence is fitting test for Vesty and his England attack coach aspirations
Following Scott Wisemantel’s departure from the Rugby Football Union (RFU), a number of names have been linked with the vacant England attack coach position, not least Northampton Saints assistant Sam Vesty.
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The former Leicester Tiger and Bath player quickly gained stock as a coach at Worcester Warriors, before he headed to Northampton as part of the new coaching staff put together by director of rugby Chris Boyd. Under the Kiwi’s tutelage, Vesty has helped mould Saints into one of the most proficient attacking sides in the Gallagher Premiership.
Their 151 points and 20 tries scored have them ahead of the rest of the pack by two points after five rounds, despite losing a number of players to World Cup duty and/or injury over that period. Saints have also gone two from two in the Heineken Champions Cup, beating Lyon and Benetton, to share top spot in Pool 1 with European powerhouse Leinster.
Northampton would be in no hurry to lose Vesty to England, especially with the club having already parted ways with Alan Dickens, who is the new England under-20 head coach, nor is there any guarantee that Vesty would have the same positive effect under Eddie Jones that he currently has under Boyd.
That said, the results are speaking for themselves on the Franklin’s Gardens pitch and if the RFU want to push forward English coaches, a goal they previously set themselves after they hired Australian Jones, Vesty would have to be one of the top candidates.
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If ever there were an opportunity to impress in an audition for the role, Northampton’s upcoming back-to-back games with Leinster, arguably the team to beat in this season’s European competition, would certainly be it for Vesty and his Northampton charges.
As Saints have the most proficient attack in the Premiership, Leinster have the most stringent defence in the Guinness PRO14. After seven rounds, they are the only side left in that competition to have conceded less than 100 points and their tries conceded total of 11 is also the lowest in the tournament.
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Finding a way to have consistent attacking success against Leinster at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday and then the Aviva Stadium a week later will likely be the biggest challenge of Vesty’s young and promising coaching career to date. If he can succeed, essentially replicating going up against an almost Test level defence, then the RFU would be mad not to explore further his potential availability moving forward.
Other names have been linked with the role, such as Glen Ella, a person and coach that Jones knows well and who has worked successfully with England before. Exeter Chiefs’ attack coach Ali Hepher helped lead the England Saxons to a 2-0 series victory in South Africa previously, while Jones and England have not been afraid to pursue Saracens coaches before, with Kevin Sorrell having done an excellent job in north London.
The latest in the decade-ending 15 for 10 series is our look at @ExeterChiefs , where were go back over the past 10 years and pick out the club’s most iconic XV.
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Vesty may not be the most experienced option available, but with Wisemantel and Neal Hatley having both left the set-up and Steve Borthwick widely reported to be moving on after the Guinness Six Nations, bringing in a younger coach with fresh ideas could be the perfect complement the seasoned duo of Jones and John Mitchell.
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All eyes will be on Franklin’s Gardens this Saturday to see the blockbuster clash between the two undefeated teams, though Vesty’s influence on the outcome and his potential at a higher level makes for an interesting subplot.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments