Guest Blogger: The plight of Edinburgh Rugby

Guest blogger and Glasgow fan 'The Pen' gives his thoughts on the current position of Edinburgh Rugby.

It’s fair to say that Scottish Rugby is on a bit of an upsurge at the moment. Glasgow are competing at the top level season after season and even the national side are now showing they have the ability to compete with the best in the world. And Edinburgh… well then there is Edinburgh.

Some might think it that as a Warriors fan I’d be amused by their plight but that’s far from the case. With only 2 pro teams in Scotland, it is absolutely vital for the national side and for the further development of youth in this country that Edinburgh are as strong as possible.  In any Scotland side during this seasons 6 Nations the vast bulk of the team was made of Warriors with a mere smattering East Coast additions (granted Nel and Dickinson were injured and would certainly have played if fit) and this depletes the Warriors no end. But the players at Edinburgh just haven’t been good enough to be selected.

Since Andy Robinson left to take over the Scotland job in 2009, Edinburgh rugby has been in a state of near constant flux. Some good results in Europe and a European Challenge Cup final appearance aside, the club has been stumbling and bumbling on a downward trajectory ever since with no clear plan as to how to exit.

Since 2009, Edinburgh have had 6 coaches. Rob Moffatt, Michael Bradley and Alan Solomons on a permanent basis and Stevie Scott, Nick Scrivener and currently Duncan Hodge on an interim basis.

When Robinson left, Edinburgh had finished joint third in 2008 and second in 2009 (the Magners league as it was back then finished with a straight race to be top of the table rather than a play-off system). Since 2009 they have finished in the bottom half of the table in every season, with 8^th being the highest placing.

So what’s the problem?

The Stadium

While Glasgow were for many years seen as Scotland’s nomadic side, it could be argues that Edinburgh are just as bad with trips to Meadowbank, Easter Road and Meggetland . Glasgow have settled at Scotstoun and been able to build themselves a base that fans and players alike enjoy and want to visit. But Edinburgh? If you’ve ever been to an Edinburgh match at Murrayfield however, you’ll see that it’s a very different experience. The cavernous stadium simply swallows up any noise made by the fans and it just isn’t suitable for a side bringing in at best 5 or 6 thousand fans at a time. So the SRU have moved the team to Myreside, home of Watsonians Rugby Club, in an effort to try and get something closer to what the Warriors have. Initial sell-outs were encouraging but now, as the form of the team has dipped considerably further, the crowds have waned.

Having not been to the stadium, I asked my friend @TheBlack_n_Red for his thoughts and he told me that while it is probably the best alternative to BTM in the city for the club, it has a limited facilities and even more limited footprint for any improvement / expansion plans without a lot of ingenuity. So is there a vision for the future? Can Edinburgh actually do anything there on a long term basis or will they once again have to move to another ground and lead the nomadic existence the Warriors once had?

The Squad

Where do you start on this one? Edinburgh have some excellent players. Watson, Nel, Dickinson, Hardie and Gilchrist are all Scotland internationals, all great players and they’ve given Edinburgh what should be a quality pack… Note the use of the word should. Edinburgh on their day with those players have the ability to mix it with the leagues top teams but keeping all those players fit is a massive problem. Nel, Dickinson, Manu, Hardie and Gilchrist have all had serious injuries which have kept them out for numerous games and only Watson has remained fit. The rest of the side has been patched up with journeymen from Super Rugby or with promising youngsters who will eventually come good, but they’re very much learning their trade.

As for the backs? Well it speaks volumes that very few of them are involved in the Scotland side. Weir is back up to Russell, Hoyland is occasionally called up if there are problems on the wing and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne has gone from pushing Greig Laidlaw to falling behind Ali Price and Henry Pyrgos in the running. Of the rest, almost no one of note stands out. Again they are a combinations of youngsters and journeymen. The style Edinburgh play means the ball is 9 times out of 10 bashed up through the forwards as they try and drive over the line. Often when the ball comes out to the backs the options, composure, or a mixture of both aren’t there and the ball is turned over more often than not.

So what next?

It’s fair to say that the appointment of Richard Cockerill is somewhat of a major coup for Edinburgh and may just be the upturn in their fortunes.

Cockerill achieved legendary status at Leicester Tigers and is held in high regard. Indeed, almost as soon as he left Leicester, he was snapped up by Toulon on a consultancy basis and is now interim coach at the French side.

Cockers is well known for his fiery temper and no-nonsense approach and maybe that is exacly what is needed. He’s the kind of coach that will not tolerate the kind of performances that Edinburgh have turned in this season.

Edinburgh have announced the signing of Warriors Mark Bennett and that should have been a great acquisition for them but news that the injury sustained against England will keep him out for 9 to 12 months has no doubt added to the anguish and pain already felt by many Edinburgh fans.

So what does Cockerill need to do? My first action as Head Coach would be to appoint a new captain as no one at Edinburgh seems to take responsibility apart from one man. Hamish Watson has become an almost talismanic figure for Edinburgh and is the driving force behind many of their best moves. Cockerill must build his side around him and take it from there. He will hopefully have a fully fit Nel and Dickinson for the start of the 2017/18 campaign and they’ve shown what superb scrummagers they are. In the second row, he has Gilchrist who needs to show that he has the ability to be a top level lock. If he can keep Gilchrist fit and add another quality back row addition, then they have the makings of a superb pack. One or two additions to that, along with the young Magnus Bradbury and they could build an excellent platform.

In the backs, the club needs to start looking for quality additions. Duncan Weir has the ability and talent at 10 but he looks low on confidence. This season, at 9, he’s had several partners but never formed a true partnership. If Hidalgo-Clyne and Weir can click, then that has decent potential. In the centres, with Bennett now out for a significant period, they need to sign another quality centre and at least one winger in the mould of a Tommy Seymour or Tim Visser. Maybe not defensively the greatest, but someone who knows their way to the line. Add young Blair Kinghorn at full-back and that is the makings of a decent side.

This might not go down well but I wouldn’t put a lot of expectations on Cockerill next season. Edinburgh have been failing for a number of years and what the team needs is a vision and a plan akin to that at Glasgow before their success.  Try and get as many wins and decent performances next season as possible but use it as a season for Cockerill to try out players and combinations and to decide which players will be retained long term and which he needs to move along.

There is no doubting that Edinburgh is a club that has lost its way under a succession of bad coaching appointments and signings. Cockerill will no doubt want to clear out a lot of the deadwood and under-achievers in the side and if he can get the players and coached he wants (the current Edinburgh coaches are still under contract) then he can turn them into a good side. Cockerill needs both investment and time to be able to make his mark on the Capital side. Given both of those things, there are some green shoots which could be cultivated and nurtured into a good side.

Will he get either or both? Only time will tell on that one.  

Follow The Pen on twitter here and for more blog posts you can catch him here.