Opinion: Nick Easter is coaching the game he always played and it’s working
Nick Easter speaking to media.
Nick Easter has never coached rugby like a man trying to prove how clever he is to the outside world. He’s rugby coaching’s quiet achiever – there are no buzzwords, no manifesto thinking, no sense that the system matters more than the players inside it. At a time when rugby coaching has become a competition to see who can talk about the game most convincingly, Easter has committed the unfashionable act of making his team better instead. and it is driving results across levels of the English game.
Planet Rugby understands Easter is on the wish list at a number of clubs, with Gloucester and Harlequins both interested in fighting for his signature. The interest is grounded in substance as his recent work at Chinnor represents one of the most compelling coaching stories in the domestic game.
Turnaround
When Easter took charge, Chinnor were bottom of National One, with just two wins from their opening 11 matches. Over three seasons he oversaw a transformation that culminated in promotion to the Championship, winning 11 of their final 15 games to complete the climb. Put simply, it was a decisive shift in performance, belief and consistency for the Home Counties based side.
Chinnor remain a semi-professional side competing against some of the Championship’s most established and fully professional clubs. In recent weeks, Easter’s team have delivered performances that have reverberated around the division with a statement 47–10 demolition of Cornish Pirates underlining Chinnor’s physical control and attacking cohesion. Days later, Easter returned to Sixways to face Worcester and watched his side end the Warriors’ unbeaten home run with a composed, controlled and memorable victory.
Those results reflect the balance within Easter’s coaching. Chinnor’s defence and set-piece are strong and reliable, providing a platform of control and territory. From that base, their attack has become increasingly dangerous, with players comfortable making decisions at the line and sustaining tempo across phases.
King’s New Year Honours List comes under fire over excluded rugby stars
That philosophy has been consistent throughout Easter’s coaching career, including during his time as defence coach at Harlequins. Quins defended with a flat, connected line that prioritised spacing over numbers, rarely over-folding and trusting edge defenders to hold width rather than chase contact. Line-speed was coordinated rather than individual, with the back-row often stepping forward to close space while the wider defenders held depth to prevent line breaks. On turnover ball, defenders were expected to reset shape immediately rather than slow the game, allowing Quins to defend multiple phases without fragmentation. Responsibility for alignment and decision-making sat with the players on the field, not with touchline instruction, and it produced a defence that was resilient under tempo and difficult to pull apart laterally.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
The same principles are evident at Chinnor. Players are coached to recognise moments, not wait for calls. Support lines are earned through reading play, not memorising patterns and, as a result, the side play with composure because they understand rugby, and understand why phases unfold as they do.
Easter attributes the progress to an environment built on enjoyment alongside a relentless focus on excellence and positive behaviour. Standards are clear and accountability is shared – and in short, ownership sits with the players. That approach has proven effective within the constraints of semi-professional rugby, where training time is limited and margins are thin.
Complete side
What stands out is how complete Chinnor look against fully professional opponents. They manage pressure, maintain accuracy late in games and impose themselves physically and tactically. Their performances carry the imprint of coaching that prioritises understanding, trust and execution.
Easter continues to coach rugby as he played it; with his head up, with monumental abrasion and honesty, with feel for the game, and with faith in players’ ability to solve problems.
The results suggest clubs at the top of the English game are right to be paying close attention.