Mike Blair has returned to Edinburgh Rugby as head coach, the club he played for between 2001 and 2012; the 40-year-old was most recently an assistant coach with Scotland and also held the same role with Glasgow Warriors between 2016 and 2019
Friday 23 July 2021 14:09, UK
Mike Blair has been confirmed as the new head coach of Edinburgh Rugby, replacing Richard Cockerill.
The Scotland assistant coach is a former Scotland and Edinburgh captain, making over club 150 appearances for the side between 2001 and 2012.
Blair then served as an assistant coach at Glasgow Warriors from 2016 to 2019, holding that role alongside his national team commitments.
Speaking about his appointment, Blair said: "The first emotion is one of pride. I've lived in Edinburgh most of my life, played 11 seasons at the club and still live in the city, so having that attachment combine with the opportunity to lead the squad is really special for me.
"I've learned a lot from working with quality coaches like Dave Rennie, Jason O'Halloran and Gregor Townsend in particular and have been able to develop and adapt a philosophy that I feel should benefit the talent we have at the club.
"It's a really exciting squad. There's a good balance of experience and backgrounds and I'm looking forward to getting to know the players and their strengths better so we can mould that into making Edinburgh both good to watch and successful.
"It's also a really good time to come in with all the excitement around the launch of the new stadium this summer.
"It's a massive, watershed moment for the club. We all want to get that packed out with supporters from the outset and build an atmosphere the players deserve and the fans can be proud of."
Prior to moving into coaching, Blair was capped 85 times by Scotland, toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2009, and also had spells with Newcastle Falcons and Brive.
