Gloucester hope to name new director of rugby by end of next week

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GLOUCESTER are aiming to appoint a new director of rugby by the end of next week.

The Cherry and Whites have been searching for a new head honcho since giving Nigel Davies the boot last month.

Davies was dismissed following a disappointing season, which culminated with a defeat to relegated Worcester Warriors and a ninth-place league finish.

Chief executive Stephen Vaughan launched a global hunt for a successor and they now have a shortlist of just two or three candidates.

Following the unveiling of James Hook as the club’s latest star signing, attention will now turn to the head position and Vaughan admits a decision is looming on the horizon.

Vaughan said: “I’ve driven a global search for the right person and I’m pleased to say it’s been very interesting and educating.

“The club have never taken part in anything like this, we have been working with an independent company that specialise in this, and have been looking at people’s availability, their experience, history, character, leadership, plus their players and recruitment.

“Outside of that we had a number of CVs and we’ve whittled it down to a point where we have separated the haves from the have-nots.

“I’m really happy with the shortlist we have and I would be hoping to make a statement in the very near future.”

The process has taken slightly longer than first envisaged but Vaughan insists everything has gone to plan and the priority has been to ensure they appoint the right candidate.

Gloucester are determined to make a long-term appointment to bring stability to Kingsholm and Vaughan has looked to the Premiership top four for inspiration.

Harlequins’ Conor O’Shea has been at the helm for the least amount of time, having been appointed in 2010, while at the other end of the scale Richard Cockerill has been a part of Leicester Tigers coaching staff since 2005.

Vaughan said: ““We needed to do this properly so we have invested time and money to do it the right way.

“My objective and aim at Gloucester is to emulate teams that are already having success and one of the key criteria’s for that is stability.

“Jim Mallinder has just been given a five year deal, Richard Cockerill had a five year deal, Mark McCall has been there a long time, Conor O’Shea is very settled at Harlequins.

“You don’t get the right person with knee jerk reactions and getting the first person because they are available or a big name, we need to look at the profile in a number of key areas.

“It’s not just about next year, we want the culture, environment, the academy and everything else to come into the discussions around how these leaders lead.

“We have to know what their drive is, what makes them tick, what their discipline, processes and philosophies are in rugby.

“We also have an insight to our playing department, we know what makes them tick and we have to match them with the right character to lead.

“The job is too big not to give it that importance.”

Article source: http://www.givemesport.com/412572-why-south-africa-should-host-the-2017-rugby-league-world-cup

Gloucester hope to name new director of rugby by end of next week