Bryan Takes Red Path to Sale

Former Gloucester boss Bryan Redpath has been officially confirmed as Sale's new director of rugby.

Redpath left Gloucester ahead of the club's Aviva Premiership clash with Sale in April after taking responsibility for the club's poor run of results.

Redpath, though, had long been linked with a return to the Sharks, with the former Scotland international having made 80 appearances for the club in the No.9 shirt.

However Sale chief executive Steve Diamond insists that he only approached Redpath once he had parted company with Gloucester.

"Anybody who knows what happened at our club in the last 15 months will be aware that we termed it 'Year Zero', and that was just the start," Diamond told the club's official site.

"Looking to the future we have a number of good players joining us. What I've always wanted since returning to the club was a proven coach in the Aviva Premiership, and in Bryan Redpath that's exactly what we've got.

"Bryan became available from Gloucester at the end of last season. As soon as he did, we were keen to talk to him. Following our discussions he agreed to be our director of rugby, and we are delighted.

"Bryan is very similar to me in many respects. His DNA was on the club for a long time, as was mine. There are two routes we need to take going forward.

"I can take the strategy and drive the club forward off the field, but in the last weeks of last season I found myself trying to be 'master of all trades' and have to be honest in that nobody can do that well.

"I was therefore looking for someone who had a similar hardworking, knowledgeable outlook with no 'messing around' to deal with on field matters . Bryan is absolutely ideal. He has very similar attributes to myself, although in all honesty he was a better player."

Redpath played for Sale between 2000 and 2005 and captained the side to the Parker Pen Shield victory in 2002.

After hanging up his boots, he went on to work under Dean Ryan as backs coach at Gloucester. He stepped up to head coach at Kingsholm in 2009 and guided the side to the 2011 LV= Cup.

However Redpath is now relishing forward to returning to the Sharks.

"There have been a few changes here. Seven years away coaching down at Gloucester has been great for me and it's great to come back up," he said.

"There are still a few 'old' faces hanging around! I'm delighted with the move and am looking forward to the challenge ahead.

"It's a great move for the club to be playing at the new stadium at Salford, which is bigger and has easy access. We need to make it somewhere special for Sale Sharks - the venue definitely looks as though it's going to be good for us."

Tindall to Leave Gloucester

Centre Mike Tindall will leave Gloucester at the end of the season.

The confirmation of his departure comes after team-mate Jim Hamilton let slip that last Saturday's game against Sale Sharks would be Tindall's final appearance at Kingsholm.

The club have also revealed that Brett Deacon, Matias Cortese, Rory Lawson and Tom Voyce will not be offered deals.

Samoa centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu will also exit the Premiership outfit and has accepted a contract in Japan.

Tindall, 33, heads an extensive departure list in which 11 members of the squad will leave the Cherry and Whites at the end of the regular season.

The former England captain has played 128 games during seven seasons with Gloucester but was out of contract in the summer and had been linked with a move to France.

The club will also see a shift in personnel off the field next season, following the resignation of head coach Bryan Redpath earlier this month.

Before his departure, Redpath had already secured the signatures of six new players for next season including All Black scrum-half Jimmy Cowan and England number eight Ben Morgan from Scarlets.

Join OSM news service

Cowan Goes to Gloucester

New Zealand scrum-half Jimmy Cowan has agreed to join Gloucester next season.

The 30-year-old has been with Super 15 side Highlanders since 2003 but has struggled to secure a starting place this year.

Capped 51 times for the All Blacks, Cowan was third-choice scrum-half behind Piri Weepu and Andy Ellis at the 2011 World Cup and played four games.

He becomes the sixth new player to commit to Gloucester for next term's Premiership campaign.

Cowan's arrival will further bolster Gloucester's ranks, with the side set to lose captain Luke Narraway, Scott Lawson and Alasdair Strokosch after all three confirmed they would be leaving the club.

And with the futures of fellow scrum-halves Rory Lawson and Nick Runciman not yet secure, Cowan could bring much-needed experience to a new-look Cherry and Whites line-up.

Born in Gore, Cowan started his career with Southland before being called up for the Highlanders, making his debut in 2003, and going on to become one of only two players to make 100 appearances for the club.

But he has fallen down the pecking order this season and with his New Zealand Rugby Union contract set to expire this year, he has opted to make his move to the Premiership.

Join OSM news service

Gloucester Confirm Redpath Resignation

Gloucester have confirmed that Bryan Redpath has resigned from his role as head coach of the Aviva Premiership club with immediate effect.

Redpath, who has been linked with a move to Sale Sharks, took the decision to end his three-year tenure with the Cherry and Whites after a recent run of four straight defeats.

Forwards Coach Carl Hogg has been placed in charge of the first team as they prepare to take on Sale on Saturday.

"It's a result driven business we're in and I hold my hand up and take full responsibility for the fact that we've not performed as well as we should have," Redpath told the club's official website.

"I've offered my resignation with a heavy heart. I have dearly loved my time at Gloucester. It's a fantastic club in a true rugby city with devoted, passionate supporters. But, I think it's now someone else's turn to take charge."

Redpath took charge at Kingsholm at the start of the 2009-10 season having previously worked as the backs coach at the club.

Gloucester finished seventh in his first year, improving to third the following season when they lost in the play-off semi-finals and also won the LV= Cup.

However, they have not been able to sustain a top-four challenge this year and are well adrift of the play-off places with just two games remaining.

Gratitude

Redpath added: "There are a lot of people to thank, too many for a press release. However, I must express my gratitude to the Walkinshaw family, Ryan and his father Tom before him, for giving me such a marvellous opportunity here.

"I genuinely think that the future for Gloucester Rugby is bright and I sincerely wish everyone connected with the club the very best for the future."

Gloucester board member Ryan Walkinshaw added: "It is with great sadness that the board accepted Bryan's resignation.

"He's a fine man, a good coach with strong principles and no one could have worked harder to make a success of the role.

"However, he feels responsible for the recent run of disappointing results on the field of play and feels that he has taken things as far as he can. We respect that decision.

"We would like to stress that Bryan's departure is not connected with recent media speculation regarding his future and is based purely on results.

"We would like to thank him for everything he's done for Gloucester Rugby and wish him every success in his future endeavours."

Join OSM news service http://bit.ly/IQX0xo