Sale Sharks have announced that director of rugby Philippe Saint Andre will leave the club at the end of the season.
Director of rugby to stand down at the end of the season
Sale Sharks have announced that director of rugby Philippe Saint Andre will leave Edgeley Road at the end of the season.
The former French international arrived at the club in May 2004 from Bourgoin and he helped guide them to the Premiership title in 2006.
However he will now leave the club after five years in charge to pursue new challenges, with head coach Kingsley Jones set to replace him as director of rugby.
And Saint Andre has paid praise to the club, insisting that he wants to leave on a winning note.
He said: "I feel very honoured to have been director of rugby at such a fantastic club.
"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 2005/2006 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.
"I would especially like to thank the fans and supporters of Sale Sharks who have shown great kindness and loyalty to me and my family during my time at the club, and hope that I can repay this support with another trophy at the end of this season.
"I would also like to thank Brian Kennedy for bringing me to Sale Sharks from Bourgoin in 2004. Brian and Ian Blackhurst have been very supportive to me throughout my time at the club and I would like to thank them for giving me the opportunity to manage Sale Sharks.
Committed
"I have enjoyed working with them both very much and also with the other members of the Sale Sharks board.
"I am totally committed to achieving further success and believe that with the current squad of players and coaching staff, we can win a major trophy this season."
Saint Andre will hand over the reins to Jones at the end of the campaign - and the Frenchman believes that he is the ideal man for the job.
"I am delighted that Kingsley will be taking over rugby operations after I leave," he said.
"I brought Kingsley to the club in 2004 and like me he is passionate about the club and is determined to achieve success at Sale Sharks. I am certain that the future of the club is in safe hands."
Jones paid tribute to Saint Andre, claiming he was an "inspirational coach".
Jones said: "I have been extremely fortunate to have been able to work with Philippe over the past five seasons. Philippe is an inspirational coach and I have learned a huge amount from him over this time.
"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."
