When Franco Smith was named Glasgow Warriors’ new head coach almost exactly a year ago, the appointment was widely viewed as uninspired and underwhelming.
But the South African quickly helped his team to rediscover their unique brand of attractive, attacking rugby, and went on to take them to the URC play-offs and the Challenge Cup final.
Given that example, we would be wise not to rush to a similarly dismissive judgment on Sean Everitt, whom Edinburgh announced yesterday as their new “Senior Coach”. The 53-year-old may not have the same high profile as his compatriot Smith, the former Springbok who was Italy’s head of high performance before being lured to Scotstoun. But he does have significant depth of coaching experience in a highly competitive environment – something Mike Blair, his predecessor at Edinburgh, lacked.
After graduating from Dundee High School (the one in KwaZulu Natal, not Tayside), Everitt qualified as a teacher. Beginning his coaching career at age-group level, he became the Sharks’ youth coach in 2008, was promoted to assistant coach of the senior team in 2017, then three years later took over as head coach.
Dismissed from that post late last year after a heavy home defeat by Cardiff, he was appointed consultant coach with the Bulls in February.
Working with those two URC sides has helped Everitt familiarise himself with the European members of the 16-team league, but he is as yet a relatively unknown figure here.
Back home, however, he is highly respected as an astute man-manager with a commitment to an attacking style of play. SA Rugby magazine, for example, hailed his appointment as a “major coup” for Edinburgh, saying they had secured the services of one of South African rugby’s “top tacticians”.
Everitt, whose appointment is subject to his acquiring a visa, will officially begin his new job in mid-August, although there is a possibility that he could meet up with the squad as early as next week. Given he has only signed an initial one-year contract, it is surely advisable that he begin work as soon as possible.
While the short length of that deal might suggest a certain amount of bet-hedging by his new employers, the rationale behind it is that it puts Everitt in the same position as the rest of the coaching team. In the past, head coaches and their assistants have had contracts which expired at different times.
As of yesterday, that coaching team now includes Rob Chrystie, the former Melrose and Southern Knights head coach who was yesterday promoted from the position of academy coach and is now assistant attack and skills coach. Stevie Lawrie and Michael Todd remain forwards coach and defence coach respectively, while Everitt will lead on attack.
Welcoming Everitt in a press release, Scottish Rugby chief executive Mark Dodson said the organisation “may also take the opportunity to make additions to further strengthen the coaching group as the season progresses”. It remains to be seen if such an opportunity is acted upon, of course, but the use of the title “senior coach” as opposed to “head coach” may well make it easier for Edinburgh to bring in someone above Everitt, perhaps as a director of rugby.
In that regard, it will be interesting to see what becomes of Steve Diamond. The veteran Englishman, who has been with the club since March in the role of “lead rugby consultant”, is expected to stay on in the short term at least to help ensure a smooth changeover from one regime to another.
Drafted in after Blair declared his intention to step down at the end of last season, Diamond had previously been expected to remain in his post only until the end of August. Yesterday, however, Edinburgh would only say that he was to carry on “during the pre-season programme to allow for a period of support and transition”.
Despite being in a short-term post at the Bulls and thus readily available, Everitt was not regarded as one of the leading candidates for the Edinburgh vacancy. Indeed, when one report emerged last month saying that Australian Les Kiss and South African Marius Goosen were the last two in contention, club sources tacitly acknowledged that that was the case.
But Kiss was named Queensland Reds coach this week, while Goosen remains Italy’s defence coach, and it is unclear how close either man came to being offered the job that now belongs to Everitt.
“I’m honoured and delighted to be afforded a coaching opportunity at Edinburgh Rugby,” the new man said. “Edinburgh has a proud history and I’m privileged to be part of their successful journey toward becoming a top club in Europe. My family and I are excited and are looking forward to our future in Edinburgh.”
