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'We had 46 players training the other day' - Mike Blair's selection headache
By PA
Edinburgh head coach Mike Blair admits he was torn over team selection for their return to action after several players missed out on their big chance against Glasgow.
Henry Immelman, Blair Kinghorn and WP Nel will return from injury in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship fixture against Cardiff at the DAM Health Stadium.
Grant Gilchrist, James Lang and Jamie Ritchie are also available again for Edinburgh’s first game since beating Saracens on December 11.
The likes of Lee-Roy Atalifo and Marshall Sykes were due to start the first of two postponed games against Warriors but are not in the 23-man squad for Saturday.
Blair – who has lost Darcy Graham, Cammy Hutchison, Luke Crosbie and Henry Pyrgos to short-term issues – said: “It’s a funny one because a large part of our planning and decision-making in selection is around giving as many people as possible the opportunity to play for the club.
“We had 46 players training the other day and they are putting it in for the jersey and showing what they can do, and we feel that merits opportunities.
“In those two games against Glasgow, some guys were going to get that opportunity through Covid cases or injuries and sadly we are not going to be able to select them for this game because we have got other guys coming back in.
“We had looked at the two Glasgow games and the London Irish and Brive games as potential opportunities to blood some guys and give them the opportunity within a stronger selection for us.
“We still hope that will be the case but, because the games are running out in this block, we don’t have to rest certain players.
“It’s a real difficult blend. I want to give guys opportunities who impress us week in, week out, but at the same time we have some quality personnel who need games as well.
“Probably a strength and a weakness of mine is my sensitivity around individuals, knowing what they are going through and knowing how frustrating it can be to train for six weeks and not get a game. I get that 100 per cent.
“That’s why I am pushing to get players involved but I also have to put winning games at the forefront of my mind.
“I also believe that rotating the squad a little bit, showing guys that if they train well and play well they get another chance, is important for the overall make-up of the group.
“The best game we have played so far is Dragons away when we had none of our internationals barring a couple of guys on the bench.
“Giving those guys opportunities to show what they can do will help build the club.”
Edinburgh still have some Covid issues but Blair, who could give Glen Young a debut off the bench, said: “We are just about there. We are able to put out a fairly full-strength team.
“It’s been pretty much a month so the guys are looking forward to getting out there.
“We had a bit of an internal hit-out game, we trained on New Year’s Day, the guys have just been getting on with things and preparing as best we can.”
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Latest Comments
But he chose rightly or wrongly to play for Tonga. If he wanted to play for the ABs why didn’t he hold off?
Go to comments“A succession of recent ex-players going straight back into the game as coaches in their early 40’s would prob be enough to kill it stone-dead. Innovation would die a death.”
Would it? I do think one of the major differences between rugby and most other sports - which we’ve been overlooking - is the degree to which players are expected to lead team meetings & analysis sessions and the like. Someone like Owen Farrell has basically been an assistant coach already for ten years - and he’s been so under a variety of different head coaches with different expectations and playing styles.
“The most interesting ppl I have met in the game have all coached well into their sixties and they value the time and opportunity they have had to reflect and therefore innovate in the game. That’s based on their ability to compare and contrast between multiple eras.”
I don’t doubt that that’s true. But having interesting insights doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be the best able to inspire a team, or the best at managing the backroom staff.
“Wayne Smith winning the WWC in his mid sixties three years ago prob means nothing to you but it meant a lot to him. It took him back to the roots of is own coaching journey.”
I don’t doubt that! But I don’t think coaches should be hired on the basis that it means a lot to them.
“The likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Wayne Bennett and Andy Reid all have a tale to tell. You should open your ears and listen to it!”
I agree! Never have I ever suggested otherwise!
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