TWO months have now elapsed since Mike Blair announced he would be stepping down from his post as Edinburgh’s head coach at the end of the current campaign, so it has been a long goodbye. And in a sense it may well become a non-goodbye, as there is a fair chance that he will still be with the team next season as attack coach.
But whatever happens over the coming weeks - and there is as yet no sign of a replacement head coach emerging - tonight’s URC game against Ulster in Belfast will definitely bring to a close one chapter in Blair’s coaching career, as well as ending Edinburgh’s season.
The former Scotland scrum-half’s two years at the helm have passed quickly, and by and large entertainingly. Granted, the team have under-performed badly this season, losing their way around the turn of the year some time before Blair decided he had had enough. But the outgoing coach’s commitment to an expansive game and his eagerness to allow the players self-expression were welcome and necessary changes after the more limited and restrictive approach of his predecessor, Richard Cockerill.
We were given a reminder in last weekend’s 45-21 win over the Ospreys of just how good Edinburgh can be when they put their minds to it and rediscover their self-confidence. Yet even if they win at the Kingspan tonight, they are likely to finish no higher than tenth in the table - and Blair knows that is a very big if.
“It’s a really tough one,” Blair admitted yesterday after naming his squad. “They’re playing for what would be a home quarter-final and home semi-final. It will have a huge impact on what they’re doing - it could be the difference between playing in South Africa in South Africa or playing at home. They will be pumped up, so it’s a big test for us to find that inner motivation.”
Since announcing his resignation, Blair has insisted he would not fret too much about the future. “I’m not really chasing it,” he said. “We’ve got the game against Ulster, we’ll have review meetings on Monday and Tuesday, then our club dinner on Tuesday night and some speeches and stuff on Thursday.
“I want to just let that happen. I’m almost actively trying not to think about it. I want a little bit of time to just digest what’s going on and then see what happens after that.”
Asked if he wanted to stay on as attack coach, he added: “I think my answer’s been fairly consistent on this in terms of if it works for me and if it works for the new head coach then it’ll be a discussion that will be had - and that could well be a positive solution. But I’m genuine when I say that I don’t want my mind blocked up with that kind of thinking at the moment.”
Blair has made five changes to the starting line-up that began against Ospreys. In the pack, Luan de Bruin replaces WP Nel at tighthead and Glen Sykes comes in at lock for the injured Marshall Sykes, while in the back division Cammy Hutchison, Duhan van der Merwe and Henry Pyrgos replace Mark Bennett, Damien Hoyland and Ben Vellacott respectively.
James Lang moves from 12 to 13 to accommodate Hutchison, who is playing his last game for Edinburgh, as is Pyrgos. Stuart McInally and Pierce Phillips could come off the bench for their final appearances.
Ten players in addition to Sykes are listed as unavailable: Luke Crosbie, Chris Dean, Grant Gilchrist, Wes Goosen, Nick Haining, Jamie Hodgson, Damien Hoyland, Henry Immelman, Ben Muncaster and Harry Paterson.
Edinburgh (v Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium, tonight [Fri] 7.35pm): E Boffelli; D Graham, J Lang, C Hutchison, D van der Merwe; B Kinghorn, H Pyrgos; P Schoeman, D Cherry, L de Bruin, G Young, S Skinner, J Ritchie (captain), H Watson, V Mata. Substitutes: S McInally, B Venter, W Nel, P Phillips, C Boyle, B Vellacott, M Bennett, N Sweeney.
Ulster: M Lowry; R Baloucoune, J Hume, S Moore, J Stockdale; B Burns, J Cooney; A Warwick, R Herring, J Toomaga-Allen, A O’Connor (captain), K Treadwell, D McCann, N Timoney, D Vermeulen. Substitutes: T Stewart, C Reid, G Milasinovich, S Carter, H Sheridan, N Doak, L Marshall, C Gilroy.
