Edinburgh Rugby turn to Australia yet again in bid to turn around ailing fortunes
Capital side complete coaching set up with appointment of Sampson
Edinburgh Rugby have appointed Tim Sampson as their attack coach in a bid to freshen up their offensive play and inject new ideas after a disappointing season.
The Australian will join the club in the summer from the Super Rugby Pacific side Fijian Drua where he has spent the last two years.
Sampson, 49, replaces Scott Mathie at Edinburgh as the club undergo an overhaul of their coaching staff. On Tuesday, they named Brad Davis as defence coach and the former Bath, Wasps, London Irish and Wallabies man will arrive in July with Sampson.
The appointment of the two Australians follows what Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt said was an extensive recruitment process.
“We had applications from far and wide, and we threw our net wide as well, and we feel that we've got the best that was available to us to take Edinburgh rugby forward,” said Everitt.
On his appointment, Sampson said: “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity given by Sean and the club to be joining them for the next two years.
“Edinburgh is an ambitious club in a beautiful city supported by fans who love their rugby, and I look forward to being a part of the club and community when I arrive in July.”
Everitt believes Sampson’s attacking nous can elevate Edinburgh’s game from next season.
“It'll be awesome for us to have a different view on the game,” said Everitt. “I was last in Super Rugby in 2020. It's a different competition, so it's great that we can bring in some freshness and some new ideas.”
Edinburgh’s current defence coach Michael Todd and skills coach Rob Chrystie will, along with Mathie, be leaving the club at the end of the season. Stevie Lawrie, the forwards coach, and Everitt, will remain, with both also having agreed two-year contracts.
Edinburgh have endured a disappointing 2025-26 campaign and are currently 13th in the United Rugby Championship with four rounds remaining. They are hoping the arrival of Sampson and Davis will allow them to mount a more robust challenge next season.
“Tim, the attack coach coming in for Scott Mathie, was head coach of the Western Force, worked as an attack coach at Melbourne Rebels, and at the moment is busy in Super Rugby with the Fijian Drua team,” said Everitt. “He brings a wealth of experience in all aspects of the game, not just attack.
“We're very happy with what he's been producing at Drua. And at the same time, obviously we've done a reference on him as a person, and he's a great person. There's been a lot of good talk about what he delivers on the rugby field, and he has strong principles on attack that he delivers well.”
What Sampson has done in his career
A former fly-half and centre, Sampson built his coaching reputation with Australian clubs Easts and Canberra Vikings, winning Queensland Premier titles, before making the step up to Super Rugby in 2018 when he was appointed head coach of Western Force.
Over five seasons in Perth, Sampson helped rebuild the club following their exclusion from Super Rugby, guiding the Force through their return to the competition and to the play-offs in 2021. In 2022, he joined the Melbourne Rebels as senior attack and skills coach, where he guided the club to their first ever Super Rugby play-off appearance in 2024. Following the closure of the Rebels, he was recruited by Fijian Drua.
“What really excites me is the combination of Tim and Brad Davis coming in together,” said Everitt. “Between them, they bring enormous experience and a senior presence that will add a huge amount of quality to our environment. I believe this coaching group will drive us to the next level, and I can't wait to work with them both next season.
“I'm hoping to have them arriving in Edinburgh by July 13, and we'll commence our training on July 20. So we'll be doing a lot of planning behind the scenes between now and then, and we'll all be aligned by the time the season starts.”
Edinburgh Rugby’s managing Director, Douglas Struth, said: "We are delighted to welcome Tim to Edinburgh Rugby.
“He is a values-driven coach with an exceptional track record of developing attacking rugby and building strong, high-performing environments. We're looking forward to seeing the impact he will make alongside Sean and Brad [Davis, newly appointed Defence Coach].
“To bring in two coaches of the calibre of Tim and Brad in the same window is a real statement of intent for this club.”
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