Nick Mallett for Stade Francais

Nick Mallett, the former South Africa coach will take over the coaching duties at Stade Francais at the end of this season. The rumours that abounded in recent weeks were finallly confirmed yesetrday and 45 year old Mallett will take over the reins at the Paris-based club when current coach John Connolly departs. It is believed that the arrangement is for two seasons.

Mallett was a Springbok No.8 in 1984, but played and coached in France for nine years at Saint-Claude (1985-90) and AC Boulogne-Billancourt (1990-1994).

In recent times, since his controversial removal as Sproinbok coach he has been linked with various French clubs including Castres, Brive and Dax, as well as receiving a number of offers from across the world.

He had been coach to the Bok since 1997 and began that tenure with with 16 successive victories, including an unbeaten season in the Tri-Nations, but in 2000 he fell foul of certain SARFU officials, and was replaced as Springbok coach by Harry Viljoen, despite statistically becoming the second most successful Springbok coach after Kitch Christie.

While there is no doubting Mallett’s coaching stature there must be some doubt about the timing of the announcement coming as it does just weeks away from Stade’s final Pool games in the Heineken Cup.