BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Saints land Smith



Exclusive by Simon Austin BBC Sport Online

Former New Zealand coach Wayne Smith has been appointed first-team coach of Zurich Premiership strugglers Northampton.

The 42-year-old, who resigned from the All Blacks in September, will arrive at Franklin's Gardens on Sunday.

Northampton have been chasing Smith for several weeks but he was contracted to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union until the end of next March.

The NZRFU has now released Smith and Saints owner Keith Barwell is delighted to have finally got his man.

We very much hope he will bring his telephone book with him so we can bring some top new players to Franklin's Gardens

Keith Barwell
Northampton owner

"Wayne is very excited by the challenges ahead and we are delighted to have got him," Barwell said.

"We have always had a policy of recruiting the best coaches available and that is definitely the case with Wayne.

"He took the All Blacks from fourth to second in the world rankings and before that he won two Super 12 titles with the Canterbury Crusaders.

"We very much hope he will bring his telephone book with him so we can bring some top new players to Franklin's Gardens."

Barwell believes there are parallels between Smith and former Saints coach Ian McGeechan.

"Wayne is a very nice chap - he's a southern hemisphere version of our former coach Ian McGeechan," Barwell said.

Saints won the European Cup two years ago but are currently second-bottom of the Premiership.

Northampton director of rugby John Steele
John Steele: Saints director of rugby
Barwell thinks the arrival of Smith will galvanise his struggling outfit.

"I think we're a good outside bet to finish in the top four," he said.

Former Northampton coach John Steele, who was taking care of the first-team, will now start his new job as director of rugby.

Smith is expected to pick his own coaching team after Northampton sacked Andy Goodway and Colin Deans.

Smith was appointed All Blacks coach in 1999, but he resigned after they were narrowly beaten to the Tri Nations title by Australia this year.

Before that he had led the Canterbury Crusaders to the Super 12 title in 1998 and 1999.

Smith won 17 caps for the All Blacks between 1980 and 1985.


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