Jackman to stay with Grenoble

Former Irish hooker Bernard Jackman has signed a full-time contract as defence and skills coach with recently promoted French Top 14 side Grenoble.

The Heineken Cup winner had been acting in a consultancy role with the club this season and, with the club leading the Pro D2 league by 25 points with two games to go, his valuable skills were sought on a permanent basis.

The club had traditionally been one of the top teams in the country until they were relegated in 2005 under Dean Richards. However, this season, they showed a steely defensive resolve, conceding 13 tries in 27 games, an improvement on the previous year’s 30-try tally.