Everitt: “It was a performance that we’ve been waiting for.”

• 16 Oct 2024
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Edinburgh Rugby Head Coach Sean Everitt has expressed his delight after his side bounced back from a tough start to the BKT United Rugby Championship season with a dominant win over the DHL Stormers at Hive Stadium on Saturday night.

The victory marked a significant turnaround for the capital side, who had suffered defeats in their first three matches. Everitt praised his players for their response to the pressure and highlighted the importance of the win in restoring confidence within the camp.

“There’s obviously a lot of happiness within the camp after the disappointment of the first three rounds,” Everitt said. “The guys can be pleased with their performance and deservedly so. It was a performance that we’ve been waiting for as a group.

“The pressure that they were under last week to perform on Saturday was immense and like I said in any professional sport, there is pressure, and the guys responded really well and hats off to the leadership group.

“They took accountability for the team’s performance as so did we as a coaching group as well.

“We had good talk about it and managed to put it together so yes there’s always going to be an element of happiness and joy when you put together a performance like that after the first three weeks that we’ve experienced.”

The coach also emphasised the importance of paying back the supporters after a tough run of fixtures.

“Our players are proud Edinburgh boys,” he explained. “A lot of them grew up within the city and they have social responsibility and they do appreciate the support that we get from people within the region.”

Looking ahead to this weekend’s clash with Cardiff at Hive Stadium, Everitt acknowledged the challenge posed by the Welsh side but expressed confidence in his team’s ability to secure another victory.

“Cardiff is a team that’s growing,” he said. “They showed a lot of potential last year within this competition.”

“I think they lost by less than five points on 10 occasions. Obviously with that they got a lot of losing bonus points. They’ve got dangerous players within their group.

“Their backs have scored the majority of their tries and they’ve managed to combine that now with a really strong set-piece and that’s become a weapon of theirs. In all aspects of the game, we need to be really sharp on Saturday to be able to get the win.”

Everitt also praised the performances of young players like Ben Muncaster and Paddy Harrison, who have stepped up to the challenge of URC rugby.

Muncaster crossed the whitewash twice in Saturday’s victory over DHL Stormers to be named BKT Player of the Match.

“It’s important for Scottish rugby that these youngsters get the opportunities and they certainly grabbed those opportunities that they’ve had with both hands,” he said.

“I think what’s important for us is that these youngsters bring a lot of energy to the team. They’re fearless in a way and they also want to make their mark in the URC and put their hands up for international selection. We’re just proud of how they’ve stepped up.

“It’s not easy when you’re a youngster of 21 or 22 years playing in a big competition like this against experienced men.

“The opposition that they faced against the Stormers were immense and the guys that are seasoned campaigners and some of them Springboks in those positions too. So, I’m just proud of how they’ve done and hopefully they can build on those performances.”