Saint Andre to quit Sharks
Sale Sharks director of rugby Philippe Saint Andre to step down
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Thursday, 04, Dec 2008 01:04
Sale Sharks director of rugby Philippe Saint Andre has announced his decision to step down at the end of the 2008/09 season.
The former French international full-back is in his fifth season in charge at Edgeley Park after joining the board in May 2004 to work with the playing and coaching staff.
However, in a statement today, Saint Andre said it is time "to take on different challenges and move on to pastures new".
"I feel very honoured to have been director of rugby at such a fantastic club," he explained.
"The last five years have been very exciting and I am proud of the achievements of the team over this period.
"Coming top of the Guinness Premiership and then going on to win the Guinness Premiership final against Leicester in 2005/06 was the highlight for me, but I am proud of all the teams I have managed over this period and have been privileged to have worked with great players and outstanding coaches and staff."
Saint Andre will be succeeded by current head coach Kingsley Jones at the end of the campaign.
And Jones said he has been "extremely fortunate" to have worked with the Frenchman over the past five seasons.
"Philippe is an inspirational coach and I have learned a huge amount from him over this time," he said.
"For the remainder of this season I will be working with Philippe to try to make this his last season his most successful at the club.
"I have a clear plan on how I will take the club forward when I become director of rugby, building on the success of the last five years and also developing further the Sale Sharks academy to bring through players on which our future success will depend."
Commenting on the coaching changes, Sale chief executive James Jennings added: "Philippe has been at the heart of the club for the last five years and has helped make Sale Sharks one of the leading clubs in the Guinness Premiership.
"His legacy provides the foundation for the club's future success and hopefully Edgeley Park will always remain a little bit of France.
"We will all be working hard to make Philippe's last season a successful one.
"I congratulate Kingsley on his appointment and look forward to working with him in the coming years."