Fitter and faster: how Edinburgh Rugby's pre-season regimen aided their flying start

Hard work brought its rewards for Edinburgh on Friday as their new brand of faster rugby proved too much for Ulster in Belfast.

Head coach Sean Everitt is keen for his team to run the ball more and pre-season training was adjusted accordingly. It made for some tough sessions but it was a case of no pain, no gain for the Edinburgh squad.

While it’s still early days, the 34-29 win over Ulster on the opening night of the United Rugby Championship is hopefully a harbinger of better things to come.

Piers O'Conor during an Edinburgh Rugby training session at Hive Stadium. | SNS Group

Piers O’Conor was one of four Edinburgh try-scorers at Affidea Stadium and the full-back is enjoying the more dynamic philosophy implemented by Everitt and his new assistant coaches Tim Sampson, Brad Davis and Michael Hodge.

For O’Conor and his team-mates, it was a case of reaping the benefits of some tough summer training sessions.

Best I've felt in a while

“We said going into the start of pre-season that we're going to run more,” he said. “Whatever the benchmark was from the season before, we were going above and beyond that and I think you can see the work that the boys have put in. I think we look fitter, I certainly feel fitter. This is the best I've felt in a while.

“So, I think the S&C and the performance staff have done a great job.”

The former Bristol and Connacht back admitted pre-season wasn’t always pretty but the pain was worth it.

“I mean, you've got to go through some hurt to reap the rewards. But, yeah, I feel like we've really found a really good balance with pushing ourselves and obviously not going too far where we pick up injuries.”

O'Conor combined beautifully with Hector Patterson to score on Friday and the try was emblematic of Edinburgh's fresh approach as they outran the Ulster defence. It was all the more impressive given they were without their star wingers, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe.

“I'm really, really relishing getting my hand on the ball more," said O'Conor. “And I think the outside backs are definitely enjoying that. And then obviously when Duhi and Darcy come back as well, I think it's going to be really, really dangerous.

The way the game's heading

“So I think, yes, the boys who are in right now are doing a really, really good job. And the competition for places has probably never been better, which is always good for a head coach to have a headache on selection.”

As well as bringing in new assistant coaches, Edinburgh overhauled their strength and conditioning and medical teams over the summer. The aim to keep pace as rugby evolves in a more dynamic direction.

“I think that's the way the game's heading,” said Sampson, the club’s new attack coach. “We know that the officials want the game to be free flowing and fast so I think they're a bit more lenient. I think I've already noticed that with some offsides when it's not around the ball at midfield, they're letting that go and we were told that.”

With the game allowed to flow more, there will be longer passages of play and more demands on the players’ aerobic fitness.

“We’re preparing for scenarios like that where we train with long ball-in-play periods,” added Sampson. “So, we are conditioned but you probably only need ask the players. I think they look conditioned.”