Wasps appoint ex-All Black Dowd as forwards coach

Wasps have appointed ex-All Blacks prop Craig Dowd as their new forwards coach.

Dowd will complete the club’s management team for next season, working alongside rugby director Ian McGeechan, head coach Shaun Edwards and technical analyst Leon Holden.

Dowd, who won 60 caps for New Zealand between 1993 and 2000, has also confirmed that the current campaign will be his last as a player, after joining Wasps four years ago.

“I know in my heart that I am ready to retire. I’ve always said that the time to go will be when the body is not as willing as the mind, and the body is starting to creak a little bit,” he said.

As for his new coaching post, Dowd added: “I am very excited about taking on my first coaching role under someone like Ian McGeechan. He has a huge reputation, and I am sure that I will learn a lot from working with him.”