Gaffney plans Saracens overhaul
Alan Gaffney is gearing up for the biggest challenge of his career after being unveiled as Saracens’ new director of rugby, charged with waking the Guinness Premiership’s slumbering giant.
A virtual who’s who of international rugby have tried to lead Saracens to glory during the professional era but Gaffney is convinced he can succeed where the likes of Wayne Shelford, Francois Pienaar, Rod Kafer and Steve Diamond have all failed.
“This is the most pressured job I have had,” said Gaffney, who enjoyed successful spells with both Leinster and Munster before a disappointing stint with Australia last year.
“There is no doubt that underachievement in the past formed part of my discussions with the owners and it has been addressed in the fact we are looking at restructuring the whole coaching environment of Saracens.
“The structure had to be changed because there is no doubt there is the talent at Saracens.
“Saracens have had quality players down the years and it goes back to the top. We have to provide the resources for the players to play at their maximum potential.
“I am a systems-oriented coach and I am confident that if we get the structure right and the process right we have the players with the ability to achieve the results we would like.”
Gaffney has signed a two-year deal and will head up an enlarged management staff including a specialist forwards coach, backs coach and defence coach.
Mike Ford, currently the head coach, features heavily in Gaffney’s plans. The full make-up of Saracens’ new-look coaching team will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Gaffney will take a watching brief for the rest of this season as Ford and Eddie Jones, the acting director of rugby, prepare the side for their last three Guinness Premiership games.
It gives him time to make headway in re-structuring the coaching set-up and finalising player recruitment.
Saracens chief executive Mark Sinderberry is confident the club have finally hit upon the right formula.
“One of the really telling factors this time was the quality of the candidates we interviewed. That hasn’t always been the case,” said Sinderberry.
“With what Alan brings to us with his experience both in Ireland and as a backs coach, I am looking forward to seeing a far more complete game-plan.
“It’s important we concentrate on the small steps. An important part of that was putting the right person at the top and then surrounding him with a coaching staff who create an environment where we are continually improving.”
The roots of any future success will be found in the canny appointment of Jones, the former Australia head coach, on a temporary basis after Diamond was sacked in February.
Jones not only played a major role in guiding Saracens away from relegation, but he reported directly on where the club’s rugby structure needed to be overhauled and he helped to draw up a shortlist of suitable candidates.
“It really helped that we were able to bring people in from the outside to carefully analyse where we have been deficient,” Sinderberry explained.
