Shelford New All Blacks Coach

Wayne Shelford will tomorrow sign a three-year contract as the new head coach of Saracens and will be cheered to learn that the France back Thomas Castaignède is available to help revive the fortunes of the north London club.

Instead of waiting until next season to pick up the reins, Shelford will help direct the team for the three remaining games of this season's relegation-haunted campaign, starting with Saturday's visit to Northampton, where he was player and coach in the early 90s. Castaignède will be on the bench at Franklin's Gardens on his return to fitness after tearing an achilles tendon during the warm-up before the France international against Australia 18 months ago.

After the arrivals this season of Wayne Smith and Warren Gatland at Northampton and Wasps, Shelford will be the third former All Black recruited by an English Premiership club within the past six months.

Shelford, who won 22 caps for the All Blacks between 1986 and 1990, has subsequently had coaching stints in Italy and North Harbour but, as Francois Pienaar found, even highly respected former Test captains can lose their way in the increasingly brutal English club environment. Saracens' chief executive Peter Deakin, though, believes he has finally found the right man after his first choice, the Australian Matt Williams, opted to stay with Leinster.

"I've no doubt in my mind this guy has all the hallmarks of an outstanding coach," said Deakin, having confirmed the signing of the Wales lock Craig Quinnell on a four-year deal. "He's not going to be too familiar with all the players, so we're going to have to try and help him. Ultimately, though, accountability has to be on his shoulders. His agent told me today: 'Don't go signing any more players'."

The former Australia coach Greg Smith, hired as performance director until the end of the season, has already left the club having allegedly been told that he lacked the "charisma" for the job. "I'd like to thank him for his contribution but unfortunately it didn't work out for him," said Deakin.

The club owner Nigel Wray's priority is to ensure that Saracens, currently five points clear of the bottom club Leeds, are not overhauled in the run-in. Nothing can be guaranteed, however, with Tim Horan, among the clutch of senior players who have been helping select the team since Pienaar's departure, set to miss the remaining games with a broken wrist.

Quinnell, who hopes the move from Cardiff will revitalise his international career, will link up for the pre-season period which includes warm-up games against the French side Agen and two matches in Japan in August.

·</B>The National League One club Worcester yesterday signed the South Africa scrum-half Werner Swanepoel on a contract that will keep the 29-year-old at Sixways until June 2004. The London Irish prop Mike Worsley, a candidate for England's summer tour to Argentia, is injured and will miss Saturday's Parker Pen European Shield semi-final against Pontypridd.

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