SALE Sharks have been stunned by the news that long-serving director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre is to leave the club at the end of the season.

 The former French captain joined Sale in May 2004 and guided the club to the Guinness Premiership crown in 2006 as well as lifting the European Challenge Shield the previous year.

Kingsley Jones, the current head coach, will will be promoted to director of rugby at the end of the season, assuming overall responsibility for all rugby operations at the club.

 Saint-Andre, who was narrowly pipped for the post of French coach last year, is understood to be returning to his native France where he is in line to take over as head coach at Toulon from former All Black Tana Umaga.

 “I feel very honoured to have been director of rugby at such a fantastic club,” said Saint-Andre.

 “The last five years have been very exciting and I am proud of the achievements of the team over this period. Coming top of the Guinness Premiership and then going on to win the Guinness Premiership Final against Leicester in 2005/2006 was the highlight for me, but I am proud of all the teams I have managed over this period and have been privileged to have worked with great players and outstanding coaches and staff.

 “I would especially like to thank the fans and supporters of Sale Sharks who have shown great kindness and loyalty to me and my family during my time at the club, and hope that I can repay this support with another trophy at the end of this season.

“I would also like to thank Brian Kennedy for bringing me to Sale Sharks from Bourgoin in 2004. Brian and Ian Blackhurst have been very supportive to me throughout my time at the club and I would like to thank them for giving me the opportunity to manage Sale Sharks. I have enjoyed working with them both very much and also with the other members of the Sale Sharks board.

“I am totally committed to achieving further success and believe that with the current squad of players and coaching staff, we can win a major trophy this season.

“I am delighted that Kingsley will be taking over rugby operations after I leave. I brought Kingsley to the Club in 2004 and like me he is passionate about the club and is determined to achieve success at Sale Sharks. I am certain that the future of the club is in safe hands.”

Commenting on Saint-Andre’s departure, Kingsley Jones said: “I have been extremely fortunate to have been able to work with Philippe over the past five seasons.

"Philippe is an inspirational coach and I have learned a huge amount from him over this time. For the remainder of this season I will be working with Philippe to try to make this his last season his most successful at the club.

“I have a clear plan on how I will take the Club forward when I become director of rugby, building on the success of the last five years and also developing further the Sale Sharks Academy to bring through players on which our future success will depend.”       

Brian Kennedy was also keen to pay tribute to the Frenchman’s influence, saying: “I would like to publicly thank Philippe and his wife Patricia for their dedication in moving to Cheshire and the amount of time and commitment they have, as a family, given this challenging task.

 “I am pleased that Philippe will remain with the club until the end of the season and know that he is even more motivated to finish his tenure with another title.

"I am delighted that Kingsley will be succeeding Philippe as director of rugby and believe that this is a great testament to the management structure that we have developed at the club, allowing for continuity and an orderly succession.”