Richards staying put as Saints eye Meyer
NEWCASTLE Falcons appear to have won their tug of war with Northampton Saints to retain the services of director of rugby Dean Richards for next season.
Richards is out of contract at the end of the season and has spoken to Saints as well as Worcester Warriors about his future plans.
But Richards is ready to pledge his future to the Falcons after being unsure how high he was on Saints’ wanted list.
The former Quins and Leicester Tigers boss has done a remarkable job in the North East on limited resources.
It would appear Richards could revamp his coaching team next season by employing his former Leicester team mate Dorian West, the Saints forward coach.
Sources are also telling me they believe former South African coach Heyneke Meyer is at the top of Saints wanted list.
Meyer who has been out of the game since leaving the Springboks following the World Cup three years ago, is now working as a consultant to a sports marketing company.
He was linked with a return to his former Super Rugby franchise, the Blue Bulls, when they were looking for a new boss last year but said that he was happy with his new job.
The feeling in the East Midlands is that Meyer could now be tempted to make a return to coaching by Saints and would relish the task of trying to revive their fortunes.