Diego Dominguez
Former Italy and Stade Francais flyhalf Diego Dominguez will be head coach of European and French champions Toulon when Bernard Laporte steps down after the 2015/16 season, owner Mourad Boujellal told Canal Plus on Saturday.
Dominguez, who has no experience of coaching at the top level, will join Toulon in January 2016 so as to gain experience of the inner workings of the club before replacing Laporte.
“I can say that Diego Dominguez will be Bernard Laporte’s successor,” Boudjellal said.
“He will arrive on 2 January 2016 and will work for six months with the staff to get to know the team and the club to make it a smooth transition.”
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Boudjellal, whose millions made from his comic publishing business has gone into financing many big name acquisitions over the past several years, said he had no concerns over the lack of experience of the 48-year-old Dominguez.
“He will not only be a great coach he will be the greatest ever.
“He has a hunger to succeed that I have rarely come across.”
Boudjellal also told Canal Plus that All Blacks centre Ma’a Nonu and Clermont’s Fijian wing Napolioni Nalaga would be joining the club on two and three year contracts respectively next season.
With regard to Nonu, Boudjellal said that he was just the type of player they loved at the club.
“It was a wish of ours because Toulon really took off with Tana Umaga (former All Black centre who first played at Toulon then became a coach from 2006 – 2011).
“Nonu is a great centre with a good mouth on him and that is something we like at Toulon.”
Nonu, like his All Blacks team-mate Dan Carter, who signed for the other big spending Top 14 club Racing-Metro, will join up after the Rugby World Cup next year.
Boudjellal admitted Nalaga’s wish to join them came out of the blue as he has been a roaring success at Clermont but there has been unlike at Toulon not much silverware to show for his tries for them.
“He contacted us a while ago,” said Boudjellal.
“We were surprised by that but we were interested obviously.
“He was eager to change and to leave without wanting to denigrate all he had experienced at Clermont.”