Ex-Worcester assistant Nick Easter admits his ‘anger and resentment’ at the owners has gone

Nick Easter’s mission to nurture local heroes has finally begun in earnest, after five weeks of delays and disruption caused by a winter freeze, train strikes and pre-booked festive holidays.

Last night, when Chinnor RFC hosted Rosslyn Park at their ground outside Thame in Oxfordshire, it marked the belated launch of a new era under a high-profile director of rugby. And the launch was a resounding success as the home side thrashed their high-flying London rivals 48-12.

The former England No 8, who was abruptly made redundant by the collapse of Worcester, agreed to take charge at the National League One club on December 1, but had been limited to planning, admin duties, gym sessions and passing drills in a marquee, until Tuesday this week.

Ex-Worcester assistant Nick Easter (centre) has admitted his ‘anger and resentment’ at the club’s owners has gone after being made redundant

The former England international has now embarked on a career change, taking charge of National League One side Chinnor

Having been alerted to the job opportunity in the third tier of English rugby by former Harlequins team-mate Jordan Turner-Hall, Easter is evidently enthused by this unexpected career move. 

‘I’d heard of Chinnor, but I didn’t really know where it was,’ he said. ‘Jordan said the director of rugby had left and they were struggling, but had plenty of first-team talent and potential, so I said, “Okay mate, put my name forward”.’ 

Club president Simon Vickers called to explain more about the club and the role, and Easter agreed to join until the end of this season. 

The broad remit appealed; overseeing the forwards and defence, recruitment and re-signings, as well as helping with fundraising, marketing and events planning. Then came the hold-ups.

‘They went away to Hull on the Saturday but I wasn’t there because I had previous engagements,’ he said. ‘The next week, it was meant to be my first game but because of the freezing weather both training sessions then the match were called off.

The former England No 8 admitted that he had heard of Chinnor but didn’t actually know where it was

‘I addressed the squad but we couldn’t do much. We went in the gym, then we laid some crash mats in the marquee and did a bit of handling in there – very low-key stuff.

‘That Saturday was called off, then the following week too. I thought, “We’ll get a training session in before Christmas and then we might get one before New Year”, but they’d all booked holidays so I just said, “Go on then, take the two weeks off!”.

‘They came in on Tuesday this week and it was our first full training session. The weather was awful, but at least we could get 30 people out there and actually do some stuff. The front five might have put on a few pounds over Christmas, but mostly they came back in pretty good nick.

‘Our S&C (strength & conditioning) guy Darren Oliver sends them their programmes and whether they do it is up to them. It’s their choice, but they’ll soon get found out if they don’t and I’m the one who’ll be all over them because as much as it’s not their job, they’ve still got a job to do.’ 

Temporarily exiled from the professional game, Easter – who coached the amateurs at Wimbledon RFC during his final years as a Quins player – is relishing the different demands of preparing a team for whom rugby is not their job, it is just their passion. He has a diverse squad at his disposal.

Easter played for Harlequins most of his career for a total of 12 years before moving into coaching

‘There are a few who haven’t been able to turn up because of the train strikes, who work in the City,’ he said. 

‘Rectory Homes are building developers who put in finance to help keep the club afloat and there are seven or eight players who work for them. Some work on sites and some have moved on to become land buyers and sellers.

‘There are guys with a lot of other careers in the squad, whether it be wealth managers, accountants or furniture removals. They come in here and they’ve got something in common, because they do it for the love of the game. That’s refreshing, from my side.

‘They come here for a release. Even when I was at Worcester and Newcastle, I wanted the meetings to be succinct, because whether you’re a professional or you train at 7pm on Tuesday and Thursday nights, you want to run around, get air in your lungs, play with the ball and play with your mates. These guys have already done a day’s work so they don’t need information over-load on the screen.’ 

Easter’s fundamental view is that his Chinnor team can serve as inspirational role models in their community, just as much as the country’s leading professionals can achieve that status on a larger scale. 

‘I’m still of the belief that, in a pyramid, whatever level you’re at, people want local heroes to inspire them, which is the first team,’ he said.

Easter, who also had a spell coaching Newcastle Falcons, is relishing the opportunity at Chinnor and hopes his team can serve as inspirational role models in their community

‘The junior teams who turn up here want to see an Owen Farrell or a Maro Itoje playing for England, but they also want to be inspired by someone closer to home, who they can relate to. They might see them in the bar afterwards, or at a Sunday minis session. I think that’s really important.

‘What I’ve quickly come to realise about this club is that it’s in a very, very strong position. It is really thriving. The minis section on a Sunday is over-flowing and they put out five senior teams when a lot of clubs now struggle to put out two. I’m interested in finding out why that is.’ 

Sadly, Easter’s last job was with a club who were not thriving and ended up going bust, due to the appalling mis-management of co-owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham. Reflecting on the demise of Worcester, he said: ‘It all happened so fast.

‘My anger and resentment towards the owners has dissipated, because you’ve got to move on with your life. You can’t keep hold of that stuff – and they’ll be dealt with. What I’m really pleased about – and it’s not the case with everyone, unfortunately – is that 25 to 30 players have found another club. It’s good to see that they’ve managed to do that and they’re thriving.

Easter is relishing the prospect of an England revival under the complementary command of Steve Borthwick (pictured) and Kevin Sinfield

‘Being honest, if you did a pub quiz last year and said to people, “Name the 13 Premiership sides”, we were the ones they would forget. Our job, going in there with Dimes (Steve Diamond), was to put them on the map and what’s sad is that we never got a chance to see if we could achieve that.’ 

One day, if Worcester are re-established, Easter wouldn’t rule out going back there – ‘it feels like there’s unfinished business’ – but for now he is relishing his Chinnor mission, while his family establish roots in Cheltenham, after stints in Durban and Newcastle. 

He is also relishing the prospect of an England revival under the complementary command of Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield.

‘I think they’re really good appointments,’ he said. ‘They’ll bring clarity and motivation. I heard Kevin Sinfield speak on Sports Personality of the Year, and my eyes were watering – watching him on there with Rob Burrow. Even as a cynical bloke of 44 you’re thinking, “I’d love to play for that guy”.

‘England’s emotional intensity has been lacking. Borthwick is smart and that’s why he has brought Sinfield along. I’m looking forward to seeing how they go and there’ll be no stone unturned.’ 

At Chinnor, Easter intends to bring clarity and motivation – and those at the club who have heard his early meetings confirm there is plenty of emotional intensity too. He’ll be back in the professional coaching ranks soon enough, but he intends to leave a legacy of new Oxfordshire heroes.