Smith relishes his first move into coaching

Published on Tuesday 4 August 2009 22:48

IF TOM Smith was viewed as an outsider during his Scotland career, which ran in tandem with him starring in the French and English leagues, the new Edinburgh assistant coach spoke yesterday of his delight at a first appointment to a more obvious role in Scottish rugby from the inside.

The 37-year-old is one of a promising clutch of young Scottish coaches who have made a significant mark on the professional game after 11 years as a player, topped off with 61 Test caps and six Lions Tests – the kind of experience that has been lacking in Scottish rugby. The SRU has grasped the opportunity presented by Andy Robinson's promotion to the Scotland head coach role to tap into that by handing Smith his start on the coaching ladder.

He will be guided by head coach Rob Moffat, with a third member of the backroom team, an Australian coach, to be appointed in the coming days.

Smith said: "I have always wanted to get into coaching, especially in the last few years. The opportunity arose to join Edinburgh, Rob gave me the chance and I'm very happy to take it.

"It's nice to come back to Scotland and not be an outsider looking in. Sometimes opportunities in coaching just appear, and you have to be in the right place at the right time. But when I knew Andy was moving and saw the opportunity, I instinctively knew this was right for me. Edinburgh look like a team on the up after a good last couple of years and it's exciting. Hopefully, I can be part of the next step."

Smith has coached while playing at Northampton and is halfway up the certificate ladder. As key influences, he cites Jim Telfer, his coach with Scotland and the British and Irish Lions, and Wayne Smith, the former Saints and New Zealand head coach now the attacking brains in Graham Henry's All Blacks coaching team. Both men are known for their ability to soak up aspects of the game and to try different approaches in the pursuit of rugby excellence.

Yesterday, the former prop pulled on the Edinburgh jersey and enjoyed his first training session on the back pitches at Murrayfield, but he said little, preferring to watch and learn on his first day. His reputation is that of a quiet man, and some may question whether he has the personality to transfer his ideas to others and become a successful coach.

"I will have to work on that to make sure that I get the points across that I want to get across," he said. "But, coaching is about building relationships with players that allow them to understand where you're coming from, and what you expect of them. Also, there are a lot of leaders in this squad and I would hope that I don't need to be out there chatting for too long."

Smith is naturally reticent in public but, growing into a player of world-class standing and a charity fundraiser, he became a more demonstrative individual on the training and playing field as his career developed. When he was Scotland captain for a brief period he did have a quiet manner, but ask any player involved in the ill-fated 2005 RBS Six Nations Championship, when it was all going horribly wrong under Matt Williams and Willie Anderson, and they will leave you in no doubt of the influence Smith held among the nation's leading players to the extent that in at least one Test match they chose to follow his tactical lead and shun that of the coaches.

He still looks back on the 1999 Five Nations Championship success as a memory greater even than winning the British and Irish Lions Test series in 1997, which underlines his passion for Scotland. The fact that he went on to play for another four years at the top level of the game in England – he had to withdraw from a role as Scotland U20s forwards coach last season because Northampton's plan to use him as third-choice prop was altered by his form – also points to Scotland having suffered more through Smith's decision to retire from Test rugby when he did.

With his 38th birthday approaching, and the playing career expected to become part of history, the prop's enthusiasm for new challenges remains as fresh as when the Rannoch School pupil first turned up to play for Dundee HSFP nearly 20 years ago.

That was evidenced even on his recent holiday in Avignon, France. Smith spent a day away from the family to ride a bike up the Mont Ventoux, the infamous 6,000-feet Tour de France climb, albeit not quite at the pace set by Alberto Contador and the peloton days before.

He is self-effacing and refused to say whether he felt he was a good enough coach to take Edinburgh to the next level, but is also a direct individual and his demeanour turned serious when he was asked if he felt it was realistic for the Scottish side to aim for the Magners League title.

"I don't think it (coaching] will be easy," he said. "It's about dealing with pressure, getting the right team in the right condition on the field every weekend. I have long experience of professional rugby and I've worked with some very good coaches over the years. You take what you can from those experiences and you add some of your own ideas about how things should be done and how you would have liked to do things when you were playing.

"Last year was Edinburgh's highest finish and that showed the potential. The next step is to improve on that and improve in the Heineken Cup. If you're asking me if my ambition as a coach is to win the Magners League, then the answer is absolutely yes.

"But in terms of where Scottish rugby has gone over the past five years, it is difficult to come from an environment where you're on the outside looking in and judge the quality of the players. Obviously, there have been some tough times for the national team and I hope that will improve. The pro teams have a huge role in that but I'll keep my perspective on Edinburgh and making Edinburgh better."