Heriot’s duo promoted to co-head coach roles

HERIOT’S will be co-coached by Stuart Edwards and Fin Gillies during the upcoming Super6 Championship after the pair were promoted from their assistant roles on an interim basis.

The search for a permanent replacement to Andrew Kelly, who left the head coach role by “mutual consent” in June following a couple of disappointing campaigns, is ongoing.

“We are fortunate to have two coaches of the calibre of Stuart and Fin who can lead the team into the Championship season,” said Heriot’s director of rugby Neil Meikle. “We are conducting a thorough search and recruitment process around our new head coach and expect to have someone in place towards the end of the year. In the meantime, we are looking forward to seeing how far this team can go with Stuart and Fin at the helm, and we are delighted with what we have seen so far.”

Edwards is a former standoff who played for the franchise before moving into coaching ahead of the Super6 Sprint this year. His day job is as head of rugby at Stewart’s Melville College.

Gillies, who played hooker for Glasgow Warriors before his career was cut short by injury in his early 20s, became an assistant at Goldenacre for the inaugural Super6 campaign in 2019, having cut his coaching teeth with Glasgow Hawks in the Premiership. He is also head of rugby at the High School of Glasgow.

The pair will be assisted by Mark Sinclair (strength and conditioning). They will also be supported by the vastly experienced trio of Sean Lineen (head of rugby development), Phil Smith (Blues head coach) and Robert McKillop (Blues 2nd XV head coach).

“I am excited about the opportunity and to be working with Fin,” said Edwards. “We are mates who have a similar philosophy of how the game should be played and we are comfortable challenging each other to get the best out of our coaching both individually and collectively.

“It’s been an incredibly busy time over the last couple of months, but we have worked hard to put ourselves in the best possible place for the Super6 Championship starting in August.”