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In-demand Nel opts for Edinburgh stay

WP Nel /Getty

Scotland prop WP Nel has signed a new three-year contract with Edinburgh.

The South Africa-born tighthead was linked with Top 14 powerhouses Toulon and Clermont Auvergne after catching the eye for club and country.

But Nel, who missed the Six Nations due to a neck injury, has opted to stay put by putting pen to paper on a contract with the Pro12 strugglers until 2020.

The 30-year-old said: “I’m delighted to be staying at Edinburgh for another three years. It’s an awesome club and I’m looking forward to continuing to play here.

“These are exciting times for everyone involved and I feel that everything is moving in the right direction. It’s been great to see a lot of young talent coming through this season and hopefully I can help with their development in the coming years.

“The city, Edinburgh Rugby and its supporters are very close to my heart, and that was a huge factor in our decision to stay.”

Edinburgh acting head coach Duncan Hodge said: “WP is a huge acquisition for the club and Scottish Rugby. It’s fantastic that he has decided to commit his future to Edinburgh Rugby.

“To have a world-class player in a specialised position remaining at the club is a monumental boost to the squad.

“Props often peak late on in their careers and our fans can now look forward to WP entering this stage of his playing days in an Edinburgh Rugby shirt.”

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cw 1 hour ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Thanks JW for clarifying your point and totally agree. The ABs are still trying to find their mojo” - that spark of power that binds and defines them. Man the Boks certainly found theirs in Wellington! But I think it cannot be far off for ABs - my comment about two coaches was a bit glib. The key point for me is that they need first a coach or coaches that can unlock that power and for me that starts at getting the set piece right and especially the scrum and second a coach that can simplify the game plans. I am fortified in this view by NBs comment that most of the ABs tries come from the scrum or lineout - this is the structured power game we have been seeing all year. But it cannot work while the scrum is backpeddling. That has to be fixed ASAP if Robertson is going to stick to this formula. I also think it is too late in the cycle to reverse course and revert to a game based on speed and continuity. The second is just as important - keep it simple! Complex movements that require 196 cm 144 kg props to run around like 95kg flankers is never going to work over a sustained period. The 2024 Blues showed what a powerful yet simple formula can do. The 2025 Blues, with Beauden at 10 tried to be more expansive / complicated - and struggled for most of the season.

I also think that the split bench needs to reflect the game they “want” to play not follow some rote formula. For example the ABs impact bench has the biggest front row in the World with two props 195cm / 140 kg plus. But that bulk cannot succeed without the right power based second row (7, 4, 5, 6). That bulk becomes a disadvantage if they don’t have a rock solid base behind them - as both Boks showed at Eden Park and the English in London. Fresh powerful legs need to come on with them - thats why we need a 6-2 bench. And teams with this split can have players focused only on 40 minutes max of super high intensity play. Hence Robertson needs to design his team to accord with these basic physics.



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