Edinburgh squad still in the dark over new coach

EDINBURGH now know the look of their RaboDirect PRO12 and Heineken Cup season, with Munster the first European Cup opposition at Murrayfield in October, but they still appear no nearer to knowing who will coach the team.

The squad is into its eighth week of pre-season training under Stevie Scott, the former Scotland hooker and national assistant coach who took the helm after the sacking of Michael Bradley last season. The SRU Chief Executive Mark Dodson revealed in February that the Edinburgh coaching team was to be removed, but bizarrely insisted that Bradley and Neil Back would remain until the end of the season, while defence coach Billy McGinty quit there and then – only to then change his mind just three weeks later and dismiss the former Ireland scrum-half and England flanker.

Scott and Duncan Hodge, who was also working with Scotland as an assistant coach, were put in charge at the end of the RBS Six Nations, but Hodge rejoined Scotland on tour at the end of the season.

Dodson and Dominic McKay, the union’s director of communications, public affairs, marketing and sponsorship, flew to South Africa with the Scotland squad for the summer tour and, while there, revealed that they were interviewing prospective candidates for the Edinburgh post. Former All Blacks and England coach John Mitchell – who was, ironically, brought in at Sale briefly last season after Scott was sacked – is the latest The Scotsman believes to have thrown his hat in the ring. However, the only coach known to have been spoken to by Dodson and McKay is Alan Solomons, the successful former South Africa assistant and Ulster head coach. He is 
director of rugby at the new Super Rugby province, the Southern Kings, but their season ended ten days ago and still there is no word of whether he has agreed to take up the reins.

Edinburgh’s new managing director David Davies declined The Scotsman’s request for an interview yesterday, but the club issued these comments on his behalf: “We’re well aware that fans eagerly await the confirmation of our coaching team. It is on top of their agenda, as it is our own. We appreciate that this is taking more time than we and our fans would have liked but, having just cleared out an unsuccessful coaching team, it’s imperative that we get the next appointments right.

“We’re very fortunate to have an experienced and exceptionally committed interim head coach in Stevie Scott. He’s extremely passionate about the club and, as well as winning three from five at the end of the season, has done a huge amount of work to help us prepare for the season ahead.

“His presence and understanding has, to a degree, afforded us extra time to complete a thorough search for the right coaches who can take this club forward and we hope to confirm the new coaching team in the coming weeks.”

Edinburgh will today confirm a club venue for their home pre-season friendly, against Newcastle, but the lack of any clear time-frame for an announcement only fuels speculation that the SRU have not won agreement from any targeted individual less than four weeks from the opening friendly at Northampton.

With promising Scotland under-20s coach Simon Cross the latest Scottish coach to leave the country due to a lack of pro opportunities here, there was no word either on whether Scott has been assured of a role in the new coaching team or if his future will depend on the wishes of the new head coach, which would again leave the possibility of no Scottish coaches being involved with the capital club.