NEWS: Saints announce new coaching lineup
Dickens moves to defence
By Saint Ted
May 23 2018
Northampton Saints can today confirm 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)
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Quote:Saint Ted
Apologies to Suffolk Saint who's thread I deleted instead of merged!
No problem
As an aside, I was down at the ground today and Dorian is still floating around.
Quote:Wilson Pickett
I believe Boyd might bring a fitness guy...
mark Finney apparently took redundancy...
Quote:Mobbs
Very much as expected for the simple reason that Saints cannot afford to pay anyone else off and then take on another high profile coach.
As an aside, I was down at the ground today and Dorian is still floating around.
I am finding it very hard to associate Dorian with 'floating' :-)
Quote:Rubadubdub; remember Seb Tubb?Quote:Wilson Pickett
I believe Boyd might bring a fitness guy...
mark Finney apparently took redundancy...
I believe Tom Bullough has been promoted to Head of Conditioning - looks like a cost cutting exercise if Finney was offered redundancy
Quote:tedgeQuote:Rubadubdub; remember Seb Tubb?Quote:Wilson Pickett
I believe Boyd might bring a fitness guy...
mark Finney apparently took redundancy...
I believe Tom Bullough has been promoted to Head of Conditioning - looks like a cost cutting exercise if Finney was offered redundancy
Played at uni with Tom. Appears well thought of at saints.
Quote:Angus67Quote:Mobbs
Very much as expected for the simple reason that Saints cannot afford to pay anyone else off and then take on another high profile coach.
As an aside, I was down at the ground today and Dorian is still floating around.
I am finding it very hard to associate Dorian with 'floating' :-)
I find floaters quite difficult to get rid of sometimes.
Perhaps my flush needs attention.....
I like our coaching line-up let's hope the back room staff are just as good. We need a world class conditioning coach, we did not look fit last season.
Only thing that worries me is the playing staff, need put and out 8, another 15 and a 13 that can lead the attack and not slip off tackles.
Defence last season was a joke, much of the time a 'starter for 4' was conceded before the players even woke up. As a horrific example, considering the Ospreys problem all season of scoring tries (the worst in the Pro14), it must have been a pleasant change for them to come up against the Saints.
Even Saints have won the European cup and England have won a World Cup
If these were kiwi references I’m sure they’d be taken seriously
Quote:+1Wilson Pickett
It’s just the relentless and inane references to welsh rugby which hasn’t produce a single European cup winner (one finalist when it was Micky Mouse) or a World Cup winning team
Even Saints have won the European cup and England have won a World Cup
If these were kiwi references I’m sure they’d be taken seriously