Date of birth | 21 July 1958 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Place of birth | Wellington, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Chris Boyd (born 21 July 1958) is a New Zealand rugby union coach, who is currently the Director of Rugby at English Premiership team Northampton Saints. He has previously coached at Wellington, the New Zealand under-20 National Team, and Super Rugby franchise the Hurricanes.
Boyd's first coaching role was as coach of Tawa Rugby Club, where he spent nine years from 1989 to 1998. In that year he took over as Wellington's second XV coach, becoming assistant coach to the provincial side, the Wellington Lions, in 2003. From 2006 to 2008 he was assistant coach at the Sharks Super Rugby franchise. He then worked at the International Rugby Academy of New Zealand as a coaching services advisor, and was defensive coach for the Tongan team at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, with Tonga famously defeating eventual finalists France 14–19 in the pool stages. [1]
Boyd was appointed as Wellington Lions coach in 2011, [2] and took over as head coach of the national under-20 team in 2012, a position he vacated until 2014. [3] During his tenure as Wellington head coach, he steered his team to the 2013 ITM Cup final, losing out 29–13 to Canterbury, with the victors in turn securing their sixth ITM Cup in a row. [4]
In the 2015 season Boyd became the head coach of the Hurricanes Super Rugby franchise along with John Plumtree as assistant coach. On 4 July 2015, Boyd guided his Hurricanes side all the way to the Super Rugby final, losing out 21–14 [5] to eventual winners and fellow New Zealand franchise, Highlanders. The following season he would go one step further and win the 2016 Super Rugby final, defeating the Lions 20–3 on 6 August 2016. [6] Upon leaving the Hurricanes, Boyd had become the most successful coach in the franchise's history to date, winning the Super Rugby New Zealand Conference twice, whilst also winning the competition in its entirety in 2016, having finished runner-up the year before. [7]
On 29 January 2018, it was announced that Boyd would become Director of Rugby at Northampton Saints as of August 2018. [8] Boyd's inaugural season at the club resulted in his first piece of silverware on 17 March 2019, by defeating Saracens 23–9 in the Premiership Rugby Cup final, in front of a full-house Franklin's Gardens Stadium. [9] On 18 May 2019, it was confirmed that Boyd's Northampton Saints finished in the all-important 4th place, and would go on to face the Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership Rugby play-off system. However, they were defeated 42–12 by the Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park. [10] He will leave Northampton following the conclusion of the 2021–22 season. [11]
Boyd is renowned for his sides playing an attacking brand of rugby, proven statistically by his Hurricanes scoring 97 tries across the 2017 Super Rugby season. [12] Throughout the course of the 2018–19 Premiership Rugby season, his Northampton Saints side steadily progressed, most notably with improvements in the offloading and player support game. It is also recorded that he has remarkable communication with his players. [13]
Wellington
Hurricanes
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa Umaga is a New Zealand former rugby union footballer and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. He is head coach of Moana Pasifika in the Super Rugby competition.
Patrick Richard Lam is a rugby union coach and former player. He is currently Director of Rugby at Bristol Bears in England's Premiership Rugby.
Courtney Linford Lawes is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Premiership Rugby club Northampton Saints and formerly for the England national team.
Jeremy Thrush is a rugby union lock who plays for the Western Force. He previously played for Hurricanes in Super Rugby and Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup. He represented the Junior All Blacks, New Zealand Under-19 and New Zealand Secondary Schools teams. He was a part of the victorious 2004 Under-19 World Championship team and was named the 2004 IRB World U19 Player of the Year.
Thomas Waldrom is a former rugby union player who played for Exeter Chiefs in the English Premiership and represented England from 2012 to 2014. Born in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, he qualified for England through his grandmother, winning four caps.
Jason Christopher Woodward is a professional rugby union player who plays for Sale Sharks in the Premiership Rugby.
Jamie Edward George is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a hooker for Premiership Rugby club Saracens and captains the England national team.
Norman Reginald Goodes is a former South African-born rugby union player who played as a prop for Wellington in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup from 2010 to 2016 and for the Hurricanes in the international Super Rugby competition from 2012 to 2016.
Bradley David Fenner Shields is a rugby union player for Wellington in the Bunnings NPC and Hurricanes. He played 8 times for the England national rugby union team in 2018 and 2019. In November 2017 he signed with Wasps before returning to New Zealand in 2023.
Jeffery Latu Toomaga-Allen is a rugby union footballer who previously played as a tighthead prop for Samoa, and for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship. He also previously played for Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup and the Hurricanes in Super Rugby. Toomaga-Allen has also played for New Zealand's international rugby team, the All Blacks, three times during his career. Toomaga-Allen is currently signed with the Queensland Reds until the end of 2025.
Dave Rennie is a New Zealand and Cook Islands professional rugby union coach and former player. He will take over the Kobe Steelers as head coach for the 2023-24 season. He previously was the head coach of the Australia national rugby union team from 2020 to 2023, having previously coached New Zealand sides the Chiefs, Manawatu, Wellington, the New Zealand U20, as well as in Scotland, with Glasgow Warriors from 2017 to 2020. Rennie's playing position was Centre. In November 2019 he was named the head coach of the Australian national team until being sacked in January 2023.
Matthew Phillip Proctor is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a utility back for the Northampton Saints in the Premiership Rugby and for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby.
Piers Francis is an English rugby union footballer who plays in the fly-half and occasionally inside centre position. His current club is Bath in Premiership Rugby, he has previously played for Northampton Saints, the Blues in Super Rugby, Edinburgh & Doncaster Knights.
Chris Eves is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a prop for the Bay of Plenty Steamers in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Sunwolves in the international Super Rugby competition.
Vince Aso is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a midfield back for Wellington in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Hurricanes in the international Super Rugby competition.
Vaea Tangitau Lapota Fifita is a Tongan professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for United Rugby Championship club Scarlets and the Tonga national team.
Leni Chris Anitoni Apisai is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a hooker for Auckland in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition.
Wesley Goosen is a South African-born New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for Edinburgh Rugby in the United Rugby Championship.
Lewis Wesley Ludlam is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Premiership Rugby club Northampton Saints and the England national team.