Everitt: Building on the positives and aiming higher

• 12 Aug 2024
• Features

Edinburgh Rugby Head Coach Sean Everitt was in reflective mood as he spoke to the media at the club’s recent Rugby on the Road community day in Linlithgow.

While the disappointment of last season’s narrow miss on the top eight still lingers, the South African coach is confident that the club is building a strong foundation for future success.

And there was certainly a feeling of fresh optimism in the air as the Edinburgh Rugby squad took to Mains Park last Friday in brand new, and brightly coloured training gear, for an open training session that ended in community engagement with close to 100 kids, who all had the chance to play alongside their rugby heroes.

Ross McCann plays touch rugby with young supporters in Linlithgow

“Taking Rugby on the Road to Linlithgow was brilliant,” Everitt enthused.

“It’s fantastic to get out of the city and engage with the community. We want to broaden our reach and make Edinburgh Rugby a club that everyone in the region can be proud of.”

Reflecting on the previous campaign, Everitt acknowledged the team’s progress but was clear about the areas that need improvement.

The capital side struggled to turn pressure into points, with a lack of tries and ultimately bonus-points proving a significant stumbling block in their ambitions for a top eight place.

“We had a lot of growth last season, but ultimately, finishing outside the top eight was disappointing,” he said.

“I think we had a lot of growth in the previous season and obviously we want to improve on our end result.

“It wasn’t easy in that competition at the end, and the pressure was on us to finish in the top eight, and having five teams competing for those positions is difficult. So, are we disappointed? Absolutely.

“We had stayed in the race in the top four until the end of January and then unfortunately going on that South African tour and not getting any points from it probably took its toll on us and left too much to do at the end.

“So, I would say we’re there and there abouts at the end of the season, but not where we wanted to be ultimately.”

Despite last season’s setback, Everitt believes that the team is moving in the right direction in the URC, a league he calls ‘the premier competition in the world.’

“We were in the mix for the top four until January,” he explained.

“A draw against Munster could have secured seventh place. It’s frustrating to be so close, but it also shows how competitive the league is.

“We got five more wins, but we didn’t get into the top eight and I think the toughness of the competition and the tightness in the competition was justified by 46% of the URC games having less than seven-point victory and losses.

“It just shows how tight it is and the competition in the top eight was tighter than any other competition in the world.

“So, credit to the URC for making this probably one of the premier competitions, if not the premier competition in the world. We’ve got to make sure that we get up to the standards where we can compete and beat the best.”

With pre-season in full swing, Everitt is confident that the team has identified the areas that need improvement, with those changes now being implemented during the off-season programme.

“We’ve made strides in all facets of the game,” he said. “Our attacking statistics were good, but we need to be more clinical in converting opportunities into tries. That’s the focus of our pre-season work.”

As the squad finished the third week of pre-season, Everitt is pleased with the progress being made. “We’ve been building our fitness base and working on the fundamentals of our game,” he explained. “Last season, my focus was on defence and kicking, but now we’re looking to refine our attacking play.”

Two players that will have major role and influence in improving Edinburgh’s attack are Darcy Graham and Emiliano Boffelli.

The return of the dynamic duo is a significant boost for the club with Graham in full training ahead of the new campaign.

“Darcy’s absence was a huge loss for us last season,” said Everitt.

“It’s’s exciting for us that Darcy is back into full training, he’s going to enjoy his first pre-season that he’s had for a long time. Missing him last season was massive for us, a guy that played eight games the previous season and scored 12 tries, so we know what we missed in Darcy.

Darcy Graham (pictured) is back in full training with the capital side

“Then unfortunately Emiliano [Boffelli] picked up the nerve injury throughout the season so yes we were short in certain areas but it’s not an excuse. It’s great to have those guys back they bring energy, they bring experience, and they bring leadership.

“Boffellli started running today, his return to play date is the 9th of September, if he doesn’t have any setbacks. We’ll have a full squad to select from going into the first game against Leinster so it’s exciting times for us.”

With a week off to recharge, the Edinburgh squad will soon return for a final push in pre-season training.

All focus will then shift to the opening round of the BKT United Rugby Championship, which sees Sean Everitt’s side face Leinster at Hive Stadium on Friday 20 September.

Weeks of preparation will be put to the test in what promises to be an unmissable encounter in the Scottish capital.