Olympic gold-winning coach Baber makes the switch to join Edinburgh
OLYMPIC Sevens gold-winning head coach Gareth Baber will join Edinburgh as skills and assistant attack coach. The 49-year-old Welshman will move to Scotland in December, having been in his role with Fiji since January 2017.
As well as retaining gold at the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympics earlier this year, the former Cardiff Blues coach also 11 World Rugby Sevens tournaments with Fiji as well as the 2018-19 World Series title.
“I look forward to adding value to the group, utilising my own rugby knowledge and coaching experiences,” said Baber.
“The prospect of joining an innovative and knowledgeable coaching staff at a top European team, which has in its ranks some of the best rugby talent in world rugby, excites me enormously.”
Former Wales U20s coach Baber’s departure from the Fiji job came despite the Fijian Rugby Union having been keen to extend his contract to 2024 - with Baber looking to pursue opportunities in the 15-a-side game.
Scarlets and Cardiff will be the first Welsh teams to play in South Africa in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Competition bosses have confirmed that round six and seven fixtures for Sharks, Stormers, Lions and Bulls will take place on their home soil.
South Africa has been taken off the UK government’s travel red list, removing the need for quarantine on return.
Scarlets will play Sharks in Durban on Saturday, November 27, and Cardiff face Lions in Johannesburg the next day. Both Welsh sides will remain in South Africa, as Scarlets go to Bulls on Friday, December 3 in Pretoria, while Cardiff move to Cape Town to face Stormers the following evening.
URC chief executive Martin Anayi said: “This is a brilliant result, not only for the South African teams but for the league which now gets to make a tangible impression in this rugby heartland early in the season.
“Huge credit must go to the South African government, SA Rugby and the leadership figures within our clubs for managing to push through and provide reassurances for these fixtures to be played at their home venues in such a short space of time.”