Former Scotland captain named new coach of Edinburgh
NEWS: Former Scotland captain and scrumhalf Mike Blair is returning to his old club Edinburgh as head coach, the Pro14 side announced on Friday.
The 40-year-old, who played 85 times for Scotland, spent 11 years as a player at Edinburgh before continuing his career with French side Brive and in England with Newcastle, before finishing his career at Glasgow.
He takes over from Richard Cockerill who stepped down last week.
“The first emotion is one of pride,” said Blair.
“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.”
Blair was assistant coach at Glasgow between 2016 and 2019 and has been a part of the Scotland national coaching team for the last five years.
He took over as interim coach this July when Gregor Townsend joined the British and Irish Lions only for the matches to be abandoned as coronavirus affected the camp and that of their opponents.
“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 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.”
