The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Edinburgh lay foundations for succession of power with new deals
Pro12: Club lays foundations for succession of power when Solomons leaves
Edinburgh’s three assistant coaches have all signed new two-year deals – pointing at a possible succession of power at the Guinness PRO12 club next summer.
Stevie Scott (forwards), Duncan Hodge (attack) and Peter Wilkins (defence) have signed on for the next two seasons, with current head coach Alan Solomons presently only set to stay at the club next season.
At 65, Solomons is already the oldest coach in the PRO12 and has now signed two extensions in a four-year spell at Edinburgh, where he has often said he had a three-year plan to build a foundation of a team based on young Scottish talent.
Should he retire at the end of his current deal, there’s a clear path of succession to his assistants, two of whom have already had time in full charge of the team.
Scott and Hodge co-coached the club on an interim basis for two months after Solomon’s predecessor Michael Bradley was fired, and Scott has been with the club since 2013, building the formidable pack that now provides the entire Scotland front-row.
He played 99 times for the club during a playing career that also brought 11 caps.
Hodge was Scotland’s attack coach under Scott Johnson and until the end of the Rugby World Cup with current national team head coach Vern Cotter, before returning to Edinburgh after Scotland’s quarter-final exit last October.
Hodge played 150 times for Edinburgh, and won 26 caps at stand-off and centre.
Wilkins arrived at the start of this season from his post as defence coach with Queensland Reds, and Edinburgh’s defensive record under his watch is behind only Leinster and Ulster in the PRO12 in terms of points and tries conceded.
Scott said: “I think the club’s taken massive strides forward since I’ve been part of it, both as a player and a coach.
“There’s been a big emphasis on setpiece and I see our scrum coming on really well. It was great to see our front row going into the Six Nations and performing well.
“I’m really proud of what we all, as a team, have done but we still have a long way to go.”
Hodge added: “It’s a massive thing for me to coach at my home side. I’ve spent large parts of my life in Edinburgh and it’s great to be able to influence what’s going on at the club.
“We’re evolving as a team and this is a great chance to develop some of the young players here, especially the backs.”
Wilkins, who has strong family links in Scotland, said: “I’m really pleased to be extending my contract to be able to continue the work we’ve started here.
“I’ve enjoyed my first season here immensely. It’s certainly a longer season than I was used to in the southern hemisphere but that was part of the appeal – to be able to work through the ebbs and flows, to continue to improve and tweak the systems – I’ve really enjoyed that process.”
Solomons said the continuity and stability of his assistants committing to the club was needed to take the club forward.
“They are all good coaches and first class blokes, who have the interests of the club at heart,” he said.
“There is great synergy between us and I look forward to us continuing to work together to keep the club moving in the right direction.”
They are all good coaches and first class blokes, who have the interests of the club at heart. ALAN SOLOMONS