'Talks not negotiations' - Sean Everitt offers Edinburgh contract update

Everitt has held preliminary talks about a new deal with David Nucifora, Scottish Rugby’s consultant performance director, who last week handed out extended contracts to Gregor Townsend and Franco Smith, head coaches of Scotland and Glasgow Warriors respectively.

Nucifora spoke about making it “a trifecta” by also including Everitt but said it was tricky to pull off three deals at the same time.

“We've had talks with Dave Nucifora, but we haven't started negotiations,” said Everitt who took over at Edinburgh in the summer of 2023. “I've got a year left on my contract. So we're just focusing on a really good start to the season.”

Everitt endured a difficult first year at Edinburgh, finishing 10th in the United Rugby Championship and missing out on the play-offs. But there was a big improvement last season as they secured seventh place and qualified for the quarter-finals where they lost narrowly to the Bulls in South Africa. They also reached the semi-finals of a European competition for the first time in a decade.

“I'm enjoying my time in Edinburgh and I've loved working with the players,” added Everitt. “And I actually enjoy the challenge of us now looking ahead and bringing through the next generation of players as well. So that doesn't happen overnight. And I suppose, you know, you don't want to leave unfinished business.”

‘Massive improvements made’

Edinburgh return to action on Friday when they play Ulster in a pre-season game in Belfast. They then have a double-header of friendlies against Doncaster Knights and Ealing Trailfinders at home on September 19 before opening their URC campaign against Zebre in Parma on September 27.

Everitt, who succeeded Mike Blair as head coach, said that the longer he had been in charge, the more influence he was able to exert.

“I think it's a lot easier [after two years] because you're not coming in and selling a game model or a way of play,” he said.

“So, the players understand what we want from them. In my first year, there were certain aspects of the game that we focused on that we had to get right in a very short space of time, and that was pretty much our defence, kicking game and game management.

“Then, last year, we were able to focus more on our attack, which let us down probably due to the lack of attention that we gave it [the year before]. And our attack grew last year. We scored some really good tries and I think we were in the top five for number of tries scored.

“So, massive improvements made there. And for now, it's about sharpening up in all areas of the game. So, it does make it easier when there's continuity within the group.

“As far as the squad is concerned, we've grown our group. We've got 28 players going to Ulster on Friday night and we've probably left just more than a team behind. We haven't had that luxury over the last couple of years.

“So that, for me, is exciting because it brings opportunities to the youngsters who are coming through and who are showing promise, as well as the new generation of players that are going to be playing this year. So, there's a lot to be excited about going into 2025-26.”