Scott Eade

Scott Eade steps up — a new era for the Southland Stags.

Joining us is a name well-known to Southland rugby fans — former player, Pathways Manager, and now newly appointed Head Coach of the SBS Bank Southland Stags, Scott Eade. After a full season as Assistant Coach in charge of Defence, Scott takes the reins as Rugby Southland shifts to a new coaching structure.

We talk about his reaction to getting the top job, how his journey through Southland rugby shapes his leadership, and what the move to a single Head Coach model means for the team’s performance and culture. Scott also shares what it means to lead the Stags as a proud born-and-bred Southlander — and responds to critics who say he’s too young or should’ve gained experience elsewhere first.

Looking ahead to 2026, Scott’s got big plans, big energy, and a deep sense of pride in the region. It’s the start of something exciting.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
With Chitty and I might just have a new co
host in the studio. He is a very familiar name
to South and Rugby fans, former player, Pathways manager and
now newly appointed head coach of the SBS Banks South
and Stags Scott Aid. After a full season as assistant
coach in charge of defense, he now steps into the
top job as Rugby southn moves to a new coaching structure.

(00:23):
Big changes, big expectations. So let's dive in.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good morning, Moon, Chitty, hope you will lovely day and Gordon.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
It's always a lovely day in good mate, and I'm
looking forward to be able to do this with you
a little bit more as we get closer to next
season kicking off. But let's start with your reaction when
a you probably put your hand up but then found
out that yep, it was going your way.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Yeah, it all happened pretty quickly really postseason James and
Nathan White obviously were co coaches. I guess looking back
to Matt Saunders panel who had done an awesome job
two and a half years and really grew the team,
and then he decided.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
He wanted to go make some money in the supermarket business.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
So off, he went to the four Square and Odatara,
But yeah, Whitey coming in late, did a good job
and challenging circumstances. Always tough when you don't know anyone
come in. But James obviously made his mind up he
was going to the UK and white he was on
the head home, which was fair enough.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
He's got four kids sitting up in Hamilton he hadn't
seen for over a years, so yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:25):
Then I guess the CEO and the board did their
reviews and talked to a lot of senior players and
all the management and yeah. Then sort of within a
couple of weeks sort of was asked if I would
consider doing it, and yeah, I'm sort of not someone
who jumps up and down about stuff. Pretty calm I
like to think, and sort of said, well, if the
backing is there of the senior players and I'm begged

(01:45):
myself to have a cricket it, yeah, and it sort
of just they went away and then a week later
said yeah, we want you to have an age of it,
so here we are.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Oh, you are absolutely a cool, calm and collected operator.
In fact, if we did either have a co host
show would be ying and Yan and I reckon you'd
behaving things caoled, calm and collected and I'll just be
a whirlwind. There is a lot of chatter, as there
always is around things, and I do want to know
your thoughts. Some are saying too young, or that maybe

(02:15):
you should have gone elsewhere and got some more experience.
But what do you say.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
To that, Well, those thoughts probably do go through your head,
to be honest, like anyone, we're all human. But at
the end of the day, I have to have that
confidence in myself and which I do to do the role,
having sat in and amongst it as assistant in an
academy manager. But yeah, people got their view and that

(02:41):
and that's awesome and that's what makes rugby really good
shows People care, doesn't it. So yeah, my role is
just to I us get the playing groups sorded, get
everyone aligned playing for the same cause, obviously playing for
the South in Jersey and playing for our community. So
that that's number one. Really, So I could through that
and we'll see where the chips fall and hopefully they're

(03:03):
moving forward.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Well that's just as the rest is just noise and
it doesn't really matter because you've got your eye on
the target. And that's the most important thing. You have
worn so many hats. If you just readled off a
few their player pathways, manager, assistant coach, Are you going
to take all of those experiences into shape what might
be your approach as head coach?

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (03:25):
Yeah, they've all I guess, like anything anyone does, they
shape what you believe and how you operate, so that
those things have like you set me up really well.
One thing I think I really understand clearly is our community.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Having spent a few years working for Touch South and spend.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
A lot of time out and go here the good
module a few years ago, terrible done it, she goes well.
But and then obviously doing the teenage rugby again, spend
a lot of time out in the community, understand how
young people should operate, and then you know our people
as well. So and then stepping into the HP space
with the Academy, had good rectant there around the Highland

(04:04):
his twenties for a couple of years, and then lucky
enough to get into the NPC space this year and
got a really I guess in the house seat around
how things roll day to day. Having done it as
a player, but when you step in as a coach.
It's a whole different.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Lens, so you're really excited to get the work.

Speaker 3 (04:22):
I think we've got a really good core of young
guys and over the next I reckon two years, really
evolve and grow the team. We've got some really good
young boys. I know a couple of those guys got
an opportunity this year, and I'm excited. I'm sure there'll
be a couple of young guys have come through our
I guess province who will get a shot in the

(04:43):
next year or two as well.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
It's sounding like it's really going to have a local
flavor to it, full of pride, community and all of
those things. You are yourself a born and bred Southlander,
so you'll be leading the pack just that way I
can only imagine. But looking at he to next season,
I'm going to leave you with this question. What excites

(05:04):
you the most about the squad and the direction that
you're hitting.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
I think probably what I just said to be future.
I think what excites me is we've got a lot
of young guys. There was a number of young guys
who played this year and played really well, maybe not
for ten games or eight games, but four or five games,
especially when we went really well, and I think that's
the weak taste. I think hopefully people saw that we
can we can grow that into seven, eight, nine, ten games.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
Like I said, the couple, we're going to have hopefully a.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
Dozen guys in professional teams across we've seen people would
have seen yesterday Highlanders, Crusaders, Mowana pacifica shout out to
Moana Pacific and a few boys in that group which
is awesome. And also a couple of well definitely on
one or two in the New Zealand seven as well.
So with that experience and you know, hopefully we can

(05:54):
really grow the boys that are here as well.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
It's yeah, bads, well really can.

Speaker 1 (05:57):
You hear that? I think all of Southland is just
absolutely cheering and clapping it the radios right now. Mate.
But now I think you're, like I said, your eyes
on the right prize, your heaters in the game, and
I think we're all very very excited for what's to come.
So Scott to Aid, thank you very much for your
time and your thoughts this morning, and go the stacks,

(06:17):
up the stacks,