Edinburgh’s interim head coach Nick Scrivener has pulled out of the race to be the full-time successor to Rob Moffat, and will instead return to his native Australia at the end of the season.
The former Australia A and ACT Brumbies coach, assistant to Moffat for two years as defence specialist before taking on the reins in February, had applied for the Edinburgh job, but has now withdrawn citing family reasons, although it is rumoured he may be joining the coaching staff of the Wallabies head-coach, Robbie Deans.
Explaining his decision, Scrivener said, “This has been a massively difficult call to make, because I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at Edinburgh and feel I’ve progressed as a coach through working with different people and in different competitions.
“I’ve met some great individuals both among the squad and the management team, and I’ve got faith in their ability to take the club forward.
“I’m a rugby man, but first and foremost I’m a family man.
“My wife and daughters have made huge sacrifices to support me in the last couple of years, and having had the chance to further discuss our future with them, I’ve chosen to withdraw my application and head back to Australia.
“My focus now is on helping Edinburgh follow up Saturday’s great result against the Ospreys by winning our last four Magners League games.”
The win against the Ospreys was Scrivener’s first success in five games in charge, and narrows what is thought to be a intriguing shortlist of candidates, which is thought to include former Ireland head coach Eddie O’Sullivan, ex-Munster coach Alan Gaffney and Scotland under-20 and Glasgow Hawks coach Peter Wright.