Boss Boyd coy on prospect of signing Saints contract extension

Chris Boyd says he couldn't have asked for more from life at Saints so far - but the boss is keeping his cards close to his chest when asked about signing a contract extension.
Saints boss Chris BoydSaints boss Chris Boyd
Saints boss Chris Boyd

As it stands, Boyd's current deal will run out next summer as he signed for three years when joining from Super Rugby side the Hurricanes in 2018.

The Kiwi has become a hugely popular figure at Franklin's Gardens, allying an affable personality off the pitch with success on it.

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He helped Saints to finish fourth in the Gallagher Premiership last season, while guiding them to glory in the Premiership Rugby Cup and the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.

Boyd has built on that progress this time round, with the black, green and gold sitting fourth again ahead of the resumption of Premiership action next month.

They also have a Champions Cup quarter-final at Exeter to look forward to after emerging from the pool stages on their return to Europe's top tier tournament.

Nineteen players extended their contracts at Saints recently, and questions were soon asked as to when Boyd would be doing the same.

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But speaking to this publication this week, the director of rugby said: "It's a really interesting question.

"I've absolutely enjoyed my time here.

"I love the town, I love the people and I couldn't ask for more, but it's not home.

"In our little village down in Cottesbrooke, we've got a great crew of people and they've made Linda, my wife, feel particularly welcome and that's helped.

"If we can be anywhere in the world doing what we're doing, we're very happy with what we're doing, but it's not home.

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"We'll chew away and see when's the right time for us to make a decision."

Boyd has been able to assemble the management team he wanted, appointing Phil Dowson as forwards coach, Sam Vesty as attack coach, Matt Ferguson as scrum coach and Ian Vass as defence coach.

And he said: "We are (in a building process) and the thing that's really nice is that we're really comfortable with the coaching group we've got.

"We've got some great coaches in the Academy as well and we're very well connected.

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"If we do it right, there's no need for us to be searching around the place for more coaches.

"There's plenty of potential for us to grow people internally and we're doing that at the moment.

"You never know and things can turn pretty quickly if you get a bad run of form and games, but I don't see any reason why the coaching and medical group can't be as stable as the playing group and that bodes well for the club."

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