Weir and Pyrgos join Under-20s coaching team for World Championships

They will join head coach Fergus Pringle and assistant coach Sean Kennedy for the tournament this summer where Scotland will face Italy, New Zealand and Japan in their pool fixtures.

Both Weir and Pyrgos have illustrious playing careers having played for Scotland and they have been coaching within the pathway already this season, with Weir part of the Glasgow Warriors pro-academy set-up and Pyrgos in the same role with Edinburgh Rugby.

The pro team academies play an essential part in Scottish Rugby’s pathway plan, which also includes major investment in the National Talent Pathway, where the best young prospects are provided with world-class support across strength and conditioning, nutrition and more.

Weir, who retired earlier in the season to take the role with Warriors’ academy, was quick to praise Head Coach Franco Smith for his part in allowing the stand-off to finish mid-season and was someone who he’s looked to learn from.

“The way that Franco’s dealt with me in the last couple of years has been brilliant. Having those open discussions and being really transparent and honest was great. I felt like when this job came up, he was so excited for me to apply for it, even though it might have put his roster under a little bit of stress for a little bit of time before they could recruit someone else in the summer. I believe so highly in his playing methods and the structures that he’s put here for the last four years.”

On his coaching, Weir added: “I think coaching was always going to be my next step in my career. I’ve got a huge passion for it. I think naturally, as my career was going forward and getting to the later stages, that ability to coach people in a controlled setting sparked something inside me that I wanted to continue. When the academy job came up at Glasgow, even though it was mid-season for me, I didn’t want to let it slip.”

Former Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby scrum-half Pyrgos also expressed a long-term desire to coach, saying: “I love the game, I’m really passionate about it. I took a little bit of a detour to get to this position but I’m really looking forward to the future and it’s a great role that I’ve got now.

“We’ve got some really high-level players in our academy. It’s obviously super competitive and they’re at a really key stage in their careers. They want to kick on and become professional rugby players, elite players. So it’s nice from my side as I’ve been through that journey and now the other side, so I’m doing everything I can to support them on their journey. On the field, I feel I can add a lot of value to them. Those small conversations around high-performance behaviours and things like that will really help take their game to the next level.”

26/06/14
PORT ELIZABETH – SOUTH AFRICA
Scotland duo Henry Pyrgos (left) and Duncan Weir prepare to face South Africa

Head of Performance Pathways Al Kellock said: “As ex-players, Henry and Duncan know an awful lot about the game and what it takes to come through that pathway system. They are coaches, but also they’ve been tasked with mentoring the players, making sure that the players understand that it’s more than just what they do on the pitch for training or games.

“Duncan was obviously still a player and chose to step away slightly early with the blessing of Glasgow Warriors and Franco helped him with that decision as well. He also, in the last couple of years as a player, has worked with these academy players. His personality means that all the players want to be alongside him, they want to be hearing from him and they’ll take everything he says very seriously.

“Henry’s journey has been slightly different. He stepped away and went into the finance world and kept his coaching going at the University of Edinburgh. Henry’s a deep thinker of the game, he always was when he played as well. They’re different characters, but both bring that slightly different dynamic to their coaching. Henry’s depth and knowledge will be something that will set him in great stead as far as his long-term coaching career is concerned.

“Henry and Duncan’s role at the Junior World Championship this year will be to support Fergus’s team. It’s brilliant from our point of view to be able to develop these coaches that are in our system. They work with the individual players and the collective group in the academy all year long, but to get some team coaching will massively important in their development.”

Scotland Under-20 Fixtures

Saturday 27 June: Scotland v Italy, 10am
Thursday 2 July: Scotland v New Zealand, 3pm
Tuesday 7 July: Scotland v Japan, 12.30