London Wasps will confirm today that Raphaël Ibañez, the world’s most-capped hooker, has agreed to extend his contract for another season. But Ibañez, 35 earlier this month, also sees a further year at the club as the logical way in which to begin the next phase of his career, by developing his coaching skills.

By coincidence, as one distinguished front-row forward agrees to stay with Wasps, another will leave next week: Craig Dowd, New Zealand’s most-capped prop, will help to prepare the side for tomorrow’s Guinness Premiership meeting with Newcastle Falcons and, next Thursday, he and his family return to New Zealand after four years as a player and three as a coach in London.

Dowd’s departure for a new role as development manager at North Harbour means that Leon Holden takes over as forwards coach at Wasps, but the availability of Ibañez, not only to play a further season but to work with the academy youngsters, gives Wasps a great well of experience into which they can tap.

“I still have the studs on my foot, the desire for competition,” Ibañez, whose 98 caps for France included the captaincy of the 1999 and 2007 World Cup teams, said. “But I’m at the stage of my career where I need to share my experience. I always remember when I started playing how good it was to talk with the more experienced players, and now it’s time to give that back. But I also need to develop how I do that and there’s no better place to learn than here, alongside Ian Mc-Geechan and Shaun Edwards.”

There is little doubt that, at some stage, Ibañez will take his great knowledge of the game back to France. But he can hone his skills in England, away from the expectation that would inevitably be attached to so distinguished a player on returning home, particularly at a time when France has acknowledged a fundamental weakness in front-row play by establishing a specialist academy to teach the art.

“I want to be part of the Wasps situation,” Ibañez said. “The future is bright for them. I don’t know what my future will be in a few years’ time, but to work in the next year alongside young players like James Haskell, Tom Rees, Tom French and Rob Webber will be so interesting.”

At the same time, Ibañez regrets the departure of Dowd and the ending of the special relationship all front-row forwards develop. “Craig doesn’t have a big mouth but he has so much experience, he knows exactly what is required to play at this level and he gives the young players confidence,” he said. “He knew that throwing Tom French into last year’s Heineken Cup final, that other people said was craziness, wasn’t a gamble.”

Dowd will return for the club’s celebration on May 25 of Lawrence Dallaglio’s career, before throwing himself into his new role. “I'm excited about where I’m going but I’ve established such ties here and I’m very proud of this club. I’ll be sad to leave,” he said. “Wasps gave me a new lease of life after 11 years with Auckland.

“I had to learn what Wasps do, the culture of the club, and you come to realise there’s more than just the New Zealand way to skin a cat. It’s helped me as a person and as a rugby player and I’ll go back with a similar attitude, that North Harbour have their way of doing things.”

Danny Cipriani, capped twice by England this year, missed training with Wasps yesterday with a sickness bug. The club will confirm today whether the fly half will be able to play against Newcastle and his England colleague, Jonny Wilkinson.