FORMER British and Irish Lion Peter Wright has become the latest candidate to declare an interest in becoming Edinburgh Rugby's next coach.
Wright, 41, joins his old Scotland colleague Craig Chalmers in putting his hat into the ring while ex-international forwards mentor George Graham and current Capital assistant Rob Moffat have also expressed interest in succeeding Andy Robinson.
W
right says: "I've submitted an application and the rest is up to the powers that be."
Currently Glasgow Hawks' director of rugby and Scotland under-20 supremo, Wright, one of the clearest thinkers on the Caledonian scene as well as a passionate disciple of the Scottish game, added: "Getting on to the professional level either as a head coach or as an assistant has been an obvious next step for me for the last couple of years."
Wright missed out when Andy Robinson was appointed en route to his new position with Scotland but he remains undaunted.
"It never quite happened for me previously but I'm still keen to be involved. I've picked up extra experience working with Edinburgh and Glasgow players involved in the youth set-ups."
SRU chief executive Gordon McKie has spoken of a "sackload" of applications as he prepares to compile a short-list with his rugby advisers.
Wright said: "I'll be glad to get an interview with the massive amount of interest apparently being shown.
"To be appointed by Edinburgh would be fantastic given the level to which Andy has taken the team, with a second place finish in the Magner's League and, whoever is eventually appointed, has the chance to build on that.
"Obviously Andy's successor has to bring his own style to bear but why change anything too much given the success Edinburgh have been enjoying?
"What I can offer is the ability to draw on what it meant to play for Edinburgh myself as an amateur and as a professional. I'd hope that might give me even more of an edge in wanting success."
If Wright does get the nod then he would undoubtedly want to extend strong links with the Scottish under-20s he helped coach to ninth place in the recent world championships in Japan, when they maintained a place at the top table of age-group rugby.
Among those he expects to be knocking on the door for professional contracts soon are Heriot's flanker Chris Fusaro and Watsonian No.8 Stuart McInally.
"Both Chris and Stuart were among the outstanding players and the next stage of their development might involve the High Performance Director, who is also to be appointed.
Making it clear his own priority is day-to-day coaching, the 21-times capped Wright, nevertheless, sets out what would surely be a suitable job specification for the High Performance post. He said: "All 26 players who were in Japan might turn out to peak as quality club players, who knows?
"But there is clearly a need to identify ways of getting the best up and comings to a higher level which is where the Performance Director will come in.
"The new British and Irish Cup will help but, at domestic level, there probably needs to be change. With six teams out of 12 from Edinburgh in Premiership Division One next season, setting aside local interests, one question the new High Performance Director will have to ask is whether a smaller top flight might be preferable.
"If so, how does he persuade clubs to vote for something that might not necessarily be in their own best interests, which is where the challenge comes in for someone with vision and drive who is capable of going into the Chief Executive's office and arguing his case."
After attending Saturday's SRU AGM, Wright watched latest Lions Test and, while disappointed with the defeat, he feels the game at large took the bigger hit with the ban for gouging handed out to Springbok flanker Schalk Burger after an incident involving Luke Fitzgerald
Wright said: "I always regarded Burger as a great player. I now think he's a scumbag. Gouging, spitting and biting are all completely taboo and always have been.
"With referee Christophe Berdos having taken the easy option after being advised it was a yellow card minimum by his touch judge, he should be called to account before being allowed to control another match.
"This killed the game of rugby completely for a lot of people."
The full article contains 746 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
