East goes west
The brothers from Yorkshire, both representatives of Ireland and still bonded in their post-playing careers having been pitted against each other on the European stage come face-to-face on October 20 at Parc y Scarlets in round two of the pool series.
“We knew straight away, without even turning up that they were going to be in our group,” former scrum-half Guy Easterby, 41, said of his younger sibling, the back rower. “But I’m looking forward to seeing how he goes. In terms of advice and stuff, I’ll give him as much as I possibly can but when we play each other I might steer him in the wrong direction. But after that I’ll give him as much help as we can.”
What is different this time around is that Simon is now head coach at age 37, promoted from defence coach this summer to the top of the Welsh region’s team hierarchy after Nigel Davies left for Gloucester.
“I’m delighted for him,” said Guy of his brother’s appointment. “He’s still quite young in coaching terms and certainly he’ll be learning on his feet but if he just carries on the qualities he had as a player — that honesty and integrity and hard work, then that goes a long way to earning the respect of the people who play for him. Obviously there’s a big difference in the role of being an assistant coach to being head coach. It’s a very different role but he’s excited about it.”
With home and away matches in both league and cup, there will be plenty of familiarity between Leinster and the team from West Wales. And while the Scarlets backline glitters with star power in the shape of Welsh grand slam winners Rhys Priestland, Jon Davies and George North, Guy has warned against writing off his brother’s pack.
“I think they made an excellent signing in George Earle, the second row from the Cheetahs. He was someone that, when we were looking for an overseas second row, we looked at and were very impressed with.
“They’ve got some great young players coming through as well. If you look at Jones the prop, who’s only 20 but went on the Welsh tour. At hooker, they’ve got Matthew Rees, they’ve got Ken Owens and they’ve got the lad Kirby Myhill, who captained Wales in the U20 World Cup.
“They’ve signed another second row, the Argentinian, Tomas Vallejos. I’ve spoken to Conor O’Shea myself about him and he’s very impressed with him.
“Then you’ve got Rob McCusker, the captain, and a very similar sort to Simon, a very honest and hard-working player, and Turnbull and a couple of others. So, up front, they’re moving in the right direction and if they can get their backs some quality ball they’re a very hard side to play.”
Simon Easterby will have appreciated his brother’s assessment but recognises the niceties will cease when the two clash.
“It does add a little bit (of spice),” Simon said. “We’re going to meet them a few times this season in the RaboDirect and also the Heineken. Leinster have set the benchmark for the last few years and Guy’s been a big part of that and it’s great that we can go up against each other outside of the playing, now as coaches and managers.
“It will be fine. We speak all the time and I’ve got the greatest respect for Guy and what he’s done and how much of an influence he’s had on Leinster and what they’ve been doing along with their other coaches. So, it is what it is. We’ll be the best of enemies for 80 minutes but that won’t affect anything else.”
Simon has more pressing issues, to be fair, not least settling into a pressure-filled role that has arrived just two years after hanging up his boots.
“It’s been a busy couple of months but going from playing to coaching is always something I’d had aspirations and ambitions to do. It’s come around maybe a bit quicker than I expected and it’s a big challenge but one I’m looking forward to.
“I think maybe as you get less and less effective as you get older as a player and you realise maybe some of the things that you’ve learned, and some of the bad things that you’ve done or some of the mistakes that you’ve made, that you can try and put all that into practice and hopefully give some advice to players who are coming through and improve them and hopefully they don’t make the same mistakes as you did.
“Throughout my career I was one who was quite focused on developing my own skills but then as I got older I realised that maybe I could have an influence on some of the younger players coming through while I was still playing. I think that lent itself to me thinking that I could actually have an influence on players after I finished.”
Simon Easterby is also aware of what the step up from assistant coach to head coach entails.
“I’m lucky that I’ve been at the club a long time so I’m comfortable in the surroundings but as the head coach the buck stops with you and you get the opportunity to stamp your own mark on things, which is great, but also there’s the accountability, responsibility that starts and finishes with me.
“So, I understand that and I wouldn’t have taken it on if I didn’t have an appreciation of that but I’m sure it’s something I’ll grow into.”
He has had some good role models to learn from, both with club and country, not least from the coach who plucked him out of obscurity from the English third division.
“(Former Scarlets boss) Phil Davies took me from a farm in Harrogate to my first professional contract in 1997 and I learned a lot from him. He was player-coach at Leeds at the time.
“We played against each other, had a bit of a spat on the pitch and he phoned up not long after that and wondered if I’d be interested in becoming a professional rugby player. That was the first time I ever thought about it really because up until ’95, ’96, rugby wasn’t an (professional) option, was it?
“Gareth Jenkins was a serious influence and motivator throughout my career and I’ve picked up things along the way from all different coaches and I think that’s the challenge, to try and pick up bits from other people and add your own mark on things.
“Eddie O’Sullivan, Warren Gatland and then there’s the other coaches under them, Deccie (Kidney), Niall O’Donovan, briefly under Mike Ford and with the Lions, there’s a number of coaches I’ve had little spells with throughout my career.”
The Scarlets boss will also cherry pick his rivals’ best ideas, not least neighbours Ospreys who surprised Leinster in last year’s RaboDirect Pro12 Grand final.
“Leinster have set the benchmark over the past couple of years in terms of their consistency. Ospreys went over there and Steve Tandy did a fantastic job after Scott Johnson left and showed that it is possible to go and play someone like Leinster at home, just after they won the Heineken Cup, and win the league. It was great for the competition that they were able to do that and it’s certainly an ambition for us. We’ve had two top five finishes and that’s been great but it’s not been good enough to put us in the mix for silverware. That has to be an ambition for us.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
