Alex King hopes to turn his new Northampton Saints into kings

George North's unveiling at Northampton was close to rock star status – but the man who could prove to be Saints' most significant signing of the summer arrived in virtual anonymity.
Alex King has joined the staff after a six-year stint with Clermont, five of which were spent in a coaching capacity.
He replaces Paul Grayson whose departure from Franklin's Gardens was a shock last season.
But Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder obviously had a trump up his sleeve and pulled off a major coup with King.
The former fly-half was the glue that kept the all-conquering Wasps side together – and if it weren't for Jonny Wilkinson would surely have won more than five England caps.
He at least beat Jonny in the switch to France and says: “My time there opened up my eyes to how the game can be played and coached.”
King, who agreed to move to Saints in January before seeing out the season with Clermont, added:
“Having played in England and for a successful club like Wasps for 11 years, I thought it that was the only way to play or coach the game.  It has been invaluable to do something slightly different. Working with some of the best players and coaches in the world has been brilliant for my development.”
After joining Clermont's coaching staff and working with Joe Schmidt and Vern Cotter, King was instrumental in the Michelin Men burning rubber across Europe – their unbeaten home run is 60 matches and counting.
He has honed his talents in a land that prioritises skills and space, not just strength and scrummaging, giving the 38-year-old King a reputation as one of the finest young English coaches around – and there was some surprise when he was not among Stuart Lancaster's new brooms.
Now he is charged with making Saints' stellar-looking backline click – North, Ben Foden, Kahn Fotuali'i and the Pisi brothers George and Ken.
“Being in France has given me more of a rounded view of how the game should be coached,” added King, who won two Heineken Cups, four league titles and three domestic cups with Wasps.
“I was very lucky to work with Vern Cotter (below) who has been really important in my development as a coach, in the appreciation of space and how to attack and how to incorporate all the players and not just the forwards over the course of the game.
“In France they will play a lot more games in training, but there isn't one right way of doing things. It's up to me and the other coaches to get the right blend for the players we have.
“I'm not saying we're going to play like Clermont but we'll certainly take aspects of the way the team are coached and the way they train, tweaking a few things along the way.
“It's exciting, that the likes of Kahn and George have come. I'm hoping we will play some good rugby but it's got to be the right rugby at the right times.
“That's where I come in, it's key for me to work with the half-backs and make sure they're doing the right things but also to get the 14,000 who come to Franklin's Gardens wanting to come and watch us play.”
Cast your mind back to the Six Nations to a France side where only Morgan Parra and Wesley Fofana came away with any credit. Parra was King's on-field general at Clermont and Fofana flourished when moved to the centres, where he was deployed by the ex-Wasp at club level.
There have been one or two disappointments along the way for King – last year's Heineken Cup final defeat to Toulon chief among them – but the optimism brought about by a fresh start has long since taken over.
“It's great to be back at one of the top clubs in Europe,” said King. “I saw what Jim was building here and I want to be part of that.”
GERARD MEAGHER