Munster add former Hurricanes and Northampton boss Chris Boyd to coaching setup
Former Northampton Saints' Director of Rugby Chris Boyd.
Munster have appointed former Northampton Saints director of rugby Chris Boyd as a Performance Consultant to support interim head coach Ian Costello and his backroom staff.
The surprise move adds intrigue to the ongoing search for a permanent head coach in the wake of Graham Rowntree’s departure by mutual consent at the end of October.
Costello, Munster’s Head of Rugby Operations, has taken temporary charge and last week saw the province appoint Alex Codling as forwards coach consultant following the exit of Andi Kyriacou while defence coach Denis Leamy and attack coach Mike Prendergast committed their futures to the club they represented as a players by signing new two-year deals.
New Zealander Boyd led the Hurricanes to a Super Rugby title during his time as head coach between 2015 and 2018 before moving to the English Premiership as director of rugby at Northampton.
He is credited with transforming the Saints’ attack into a more incisive and expansive shape during his four years at the helm and it is, broadly speaking, his exciting gameplan that steered his successor Phil Dowson to the title last season.
Boyd’s rugby philosophy will certainly chime with Prendergast’s and Munster and the IRFU on Tuesday confirmed the Kiwi would be in position to support the coaching ticket “over the coming months in addition to providing support to the wider aspects of team performance”.
“We are fortunate to have an outstanding coaching group and support team in Munster. To be able to add someone of Chris’ experience and standing to that group is very exciting,” Costello said.
Munster Rugby chief executive Ian Flanagan added: “We are thrilled to have someone of Chris’ experience and calibre join us for what will be a very busy period for the club.
“We have a huge amount of trust and belief in our coaching group who have done an excellent job over the past month and the addition of Chris will supplement the talent we have in this area.”
