Heriot’s Rugby Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Phil Smith as the Head Coach of Heriot’s Blues Men after successfully stepping into the role of Heriot’s Rugby FOSROC Super6 Head Coach prior the arrival of Andy Kelly.
Phil will also take on the new role of Director of Coaching at Goldenacre, giving him oversight of all senior coaches, including FOSROC Super6. This will ensure a clear and consistent development path for Heriot’s coaches as well as players.
After leading the Blues Men to second place in National League Division 1, and a likely Scottish Cup final appearance, Jamie Parker, OJ Brown, Nyle Godsmark and Malcolm Welch will continue in their roles.
This team working alongside Phil, promises next season will be another charge for promotion to the Premiership.
“I am delighted to be back at the heartbeat of the club. Working with, what we hope will be some, of our next tranche of FOSROC Super6 players, some of our loyal club players from over the years and of course the next batch of future Blues,’’ Phil said.
‘‘I have also been asked to act as a mentor for the FOSROC Super6 coaching group which is exciting after having such a positive experience in the inaugural season. I hope to assist them to once again prove our club has the best squad of players in the country.”
Phil’s track record of: two league titles, three Scottish Cups, two Charity Shields, a Bill McLaren Shield, two Club Coach of the Year awards and a Club XV record of four wins from six games (including a record win versus England and the first win on Irish soil), suggests anyone playing or coaching at Goldenacre will benefit from being led by one of the most successful coaches in the Scottish club game.
The Heriot’s Blue’s 2nd XV are also well placed, coached by Robert McKillop (Scotland U19s coach, Scotland U20s, Forwards Coach at JWC, Scottish Cup winner, Scotland Club XV Forwards Coach, ex-Heriot’s Head Coach, two ‘Club Coach of the Year’ awards).
Michael Goldie with Chris Rennie will take on the Team Manager roles, assisted by Dougie Steele.
Our world class medical team will be led by Sandi Lyall, with Blues cult heroes, Mandy Costello and Tara Aldin. If you are an injury prone rugby player then Goldenacre is a great place to be.
We are actively recruiting for a Heriot’s Blues 2nd XV Forwards coach. This would suit a recently retired player, or indeed player coach, who is looking to learn in what is a fantastic environment. If you are interested please email Director of Rugby, Neil Meikle at neil.meikle@heriotsrugbyclub.co.uk.
As always, we welcome new players to join us at Goldenacre for what promises to be another exciting season, whenever it starts. Until it does, stay safe, look after each other and stay indoors. What’s going on right now is a lot bigger than rugby and we all have a game we need to win together.