Edinburgh Rugby appoint Mike Blair as new head coach

Edinburgh Rugby have announced former Scotland captain Mike Blair has been appointed as the club’s new head coach.

Blair has been working as assistant coach to Scotland boss Gregor Townsend in recent years but has agreed to take over at Edinburgh following the departure of Richard Cockerill earlier this week.

The coach made over 150 appearances for Edinburgh over the space of a decade during his playing career and said it was a great moment to be returning to the club.

“The first emotion is one of pride,” Blair told Edinburgh’s website. “I’ve lived in Edinburgh most of my life, played 11 seasons at the club and still live in the city, so having that attachment combine with the opportunity to lead the squad is really special for me.

“I’ve learned a lot from working with quality coaches like Dave Rennie, Jason O’Halloran and Gregor Townsend, in particular and over the years, and have been able to develop and adapt a philosophy that I feel should benefit the talent we have at the club.

“It’s a really exciting squad. There’s a good balance of experience and backgrounds and I’m looking forward to getting to know the players and their strengths better so we can mould that into making Edinburgh both good to watch and successful.

“It’s also a really good time to come in with all the excitement around the launch of the new stadium this summer. It’s a massive, watershed moment for the club. We all want to get that packed out with supporters from the outset and build an atmosphere the players deserve and the fans can be proud of.”

Edinburgh Rugby Managing Director, Douglas Struth, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Mike back to the club as our Head Coach, having watched his development into a first-rate coach over the past six years.

“Not only does he bring that expertise, but Mike is also a local man, a club centurion, and somebody who became a home-grown legend in an Edinburgh Rugby jersey.

“That’s really important to us and is a fantastic illustration of our ambition to promote and develop local stars of the future.