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Cape Town - English club Northampton Saints have announced that current Hurricanes head coach Chris Boyd will be their new director of rugby from August this year.
The 59-year-old Kiwi has agreed a three-year deal at Franklin's Gardens.
Boyd has coached the Wellington-based Hurricanes since the 2015 campaign, guiding the New Zealand franchise to their first-ever Super Rugby title the following year. He also has experience with South African franchise Sharks - working as an assistant coach in Durban from 2009 to 2010 - and coached the ‘Baby Blacks’, New Zealand’s under-20 side, between 2011 and 2014.
Boyd was also an assistant coach during Tonga’s 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign when the pacific island nation famously beat France - the eventual losing finalists - for the first time.
“We are absolutely delighted Chris has accepted our offer to join the club,” Northampton Saints CEO Mark Darbon told the club's official website.
“The club conducted an extensive search and Chris stood out as the exceptional candidate.
“We said at the start of the process that we were looking for a world class director of rugby, and we’ve secured one of the very best.
“Chris’ CV speaks for itself; his achievements in Super Rugby are notable and his experience with the New Zealand age group sides is impressive. His track record of building a championship-winning side with a mix of experienced and young players was exactly what we were looking for.
“His teams play attacking rugby and Chris is well known as a deep thinker with an immense rugby brain who communicates well with his players. We look forward to him taking charge later this year.”
Boyd’s Super Rugby record now stands at 43-11 in three seasons and, impressively, his side did not concede a single try in the 2016 play-offs. They made the semi-finals again in 2017, but with the call then coming from Northampton, Boyd admits he is relishing taking on a new challenge at Franklin’s Gardens.
“I am humbled and excited to be joining Saints,” he said. “Northampton Saints is a club I have admired all of my coaching career.
“I visited Franklin’s Gardens for a week in 2004 when Wayne Smith was head coach, and remember the passion of the Saints supporters and the strong culture at the club.
“Franklin’s Gardens is an excellent stadium with first-class facilities, and when John White and Mark Darbon outlined the vision for Saints, it was a project I very much wanted to be part of.
“The club’s ambitions match my own. I am confident I can help the Saints become one of the biggest and best teams in Europe.
“I have always aspired to coach in the Aviva Premiership and I am relishing the opportunity to work with this talented squad of players.”
