Richard Cockerill has agreed to take over as the coach of Edinburgh next season in a move that represents a coup for the Pro12 side. The former England hooker, sacked by Leicester in January after 13 years on the coaching staff, will head to Scotland after completing his short-term consultancy role at Toulon.
He will take over from the acting head coach, Duncan Hodge, who has been fulfilling the position on a temporary basis after Alan Solomons left four weeks into the current season. Stevie Scott and Pete Wilkins, the two other coaches alongside Hodge, will remain at the club to work under Cockerill.
The 46-year-old, who had been linked with the job of forwards coach at Clermont, said: “I am very much looking forward to a new challenge and the opportunity at Edinburgh ticked all the boxes.
“The conversations I had with [the Scottish Rugby Union chief executive] Mark Dodson and Scott Johnson [the SRU director of rugby] were instrumental in understanding what the vision for Edinburgh is and it is a project I’m excited to be a part of.�
Cockerill’s appointment is a further demonstration of the ambition in Scottish rugby following last August’s announcement that Dave Rennie, who guided the Chiefs to consecutive Super Rugby titles in 2012 and 2013, will take over at Glasgow next season.
Despite the departure of Solomons, Edinburgh have reached the knockout stages of the European Challenge Cup this season while Glasgow, under the stewardship of Gregor Townsend, who becomes the Scotland coach in the summer, have reached the Champions Cup quarter-finals for the first time.
Dodson said: “I am very pleased to have secured Richard’s services, given how highly sought-after he was from leading clubs across Europe. As a highly experienced, winning coach we targeted him and worked hard to ensure his talents could be secured for the benefit of Edinburgh Rugby.�
Cockerill was appointed the coach at Leicester in 2009 and was made the director of rugby a year later. He led the team to Premiership semi-finals every season he was in charge and won consecutive titles in 2009, 2010, as well as in 2013 but paid the price for a series of heavy away defeats this season.
The Worcester flanker Phil Dowson has confirmed his retirement at the end of the season and will return to Northampton as part of Jim Mallinder’s coaching staff. Dowson takes up the role of assistant coach in a reshuffle at Franklin’s Gardens in which Alan Dickens will be appointed the attack coach on a permanent basis. Dorian West remains the forwards coach while Mark Hopley is the new defence coach.
Steve Diamond will face an RFU disciplinary hearing on Wednesday after allegedly verbally abusing the match officials during Sale’s Anglo-Welsh Cup win at Harlequins earlier this month.
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