Gaffney is back for another dance on the big stage

Swapping high summer in Sydney for the winter cold of the English East Midlands might not seem a palatable prospect, never mind for a job that on face value appears something of a hiding to nothing.

Yet for Alan Gaffney, even at the age of 71, there was little persuasion needed to convince him there was a challenge worth accepting when the Northampton Saints came calling for a rugby man with a lifetime’s experience to rescue their season from its current dire straits.

And for an Australian coaching veteran with a strong and successful affiliation to European club rugby, the opportunity to immerse himself in a Champions Cup campaign, however brief it may be for the down and out Saints, was a brilliant bonus.