Toby Booth: Give new Ospreys coach time, says Mike Ruddock

Toby Booth has been part of the coaching staff at London Irish, Bath and Harlequins

Ospreys performance director Mike Ruddock is warning that new head coach Toby Booth should be given up to three years to turn round their fortunes.

Booth has previously been London Irish director of rugby.

The 50-year-old has been appointed as the new head coach on a three-year deal, starting in the summer.

"Certainly Toby's going to be given three years for the sort of improvements everyone's hoping for," said Ruddock.

Ospreys have claimed four Celtic titles, the most of any Welsh side, but they won just two of their first 12 Pro14 games and lost all their European Champions Cup fixtures this season.

Ruddock is planning to discuss his own future at the end of the season.

The former Grand Slam-winning Wales coach was drafted in as a consultant after the departure of head coach Allen Clarke, with the team decimated by injuries to key players early in the season on top of their World Cup absentees.

He agreed to stay on as performance director until the end of the season and oversaw the appointment of former Bath and London Irish coach Booth, who will take over for the 2020-21 season after the end of a short-term contract at Harlequins.

Mike Ruddock succeeded Steve Hansen as Wales head coach in 2004

"We talked specifically about shorter-term solutions, but in the longer term as well about the sort of philosophy that would drive improvements in the team and in the squad, " said Ruddock, the former coach of Swansea, Leinster, Ebbw Vale, Dragons and Ireland Under-20s.

"He's a good bloke, a good communicator, someone who can inspire and motivate a team and develop a really exciting rugby programme.

"He's got a sports science background and he's big on self-development as well. He's accredited in mind-set coaching and has worked with organisations like NATO. So he's strong not just on what happens on the grass, but on developing the individual as well."

Ruddock will now consult Booth over the appointment of a new attack coach to replace Matt Sherratt, who is currently in joint charge with Carl Hogg but will join Worcester Warriors next season.

Ruddock is staying vague on whether he will be involved in 2020-21.

"We'll wait and see, I'll sit down with Toby and the board further down the track. The crystal ball is in for an MOT at the moment and I've given up using tea leaves because I use tea-bags," Ruddock joked.

Ruddock is hoping to add more Welsh talent to the signing of Swansea-born England Under-20 full-back Mat Protheroe from Bristol Bears, while the future of Wales flanker and regional stalwart Justin Tipuric has yet to be confirmed.

"I've been pretty active trying to recruit players with some home-grown flavour, if you can get some emotional attachment to the region it makes a big difference in tight games," he told BBC Sport Wales.

"I think you'll see further announcements fairly soon and some good retention."

Ospreys' scheduled Pro14 match away to Zebre in Parma on Saturday, 29 February has been postponed because of restrictions on sporting events in northern Italy to prevent the spread of coronavirus.