NORTHAMPTON TURN TO GAFFNEY IN HOUR OF NEED
NORTHAMPTON have appointed veteran Australian coach Alan Gaffney as interim technical coaching consultant, to replace the sacked Jim Mallinder. The 70-year-old has been drafted in at Franklin’s Gardens until the end of the season, following Mallinder’s sacking on December 12. Gaffney helped guide Ireland to the 2009 Six Nations Grand Slam and Leinster to the Heineken Cup title in the same year, in his dual backs coach role for both set-ups. The former Saracens coach will oversee Saints’ existing coaching team of Alan Dickens, Dorian West, Phil Dowson and Mark Hopley. ‘We are delighted to have recruited Alan as our technical coaching consultant until the end of the season,’ said Northampton chief executive Mark Darbon. ‘Alan is hugely experienced and admired throughout the game for being a forward thinking, innovative rugby coach. His CV speaks for itself; he has been successful with some of the best teams in the world and has a clear understanding of how to set-up an effective allaround rugby team. ‘He also has a proven track record of developing some of the world’s best coaches and players. ‘Alan will take on responsibility for the rugby department and will lead the existing coaching group made up of Alan Dickens, Dorian West, Mark Hopley and Phil Dowson. ‘In parallel, the board will continue to focus on the recruitment of a permanent director of rugby to be in place for the start of the 2018/19 season. As I have said previously, there has been a great deal of interest in this vacancy and we hope to be able to announce this appointment in the coming months.’ After a stint as Eddie Jones’ assistant coach with Australia, Gaffney joined Saracens in 2006. ‘I am really excited about the challenge ahead,’ he said. ‘Any coach would jump at the chance to work with the calibre of players Saints have. The squad have shown what they’re capable of earlier in the season but, for whatever reason, they have not been able to perform at that level consistently. ‘I’m looking forward to working with Alan Dickens, Dorian West, Mark Hopley, Phil Dowson and the rest of the back-room staff from the start of the new year,’ Gaffney added.