Ex-Edinburgh Rugby pro seeks next chapter but it’s Kelso away first

In the meantime, he is keeping his hand in by continuing his coaching role at Edinburgh Accies who have won promotion back to the top flight and begin a new Premiership campaign on Saturday against Kelso away.

Not only is he attack and backs coach, Shiel also finds himself on the bench for the game at Poynder Park. He’s happy to help out as required - he played at centre against Currie a couple of weeks ago in a pre-season match - but is ready for the next stage of his career.

“To be honest, I'm looking forward to whatever's next because you start to get in the same cycle each year,” said Shiel. “For me, it would be great to have a new place to test yourself and probably try and reach the levels that I've not quite managed to do at Edinburgh.

“It feels like I've still got a lot to give. It's just trying to find out where to put it, pretty much.”

Refreshingly unbitter

Shiel joined Edinburgh Rugby’s academy ahead of the 2017-18 season and went on to make 93 appearances for the club, scoring 10 tries. None was better than the one he got against Connacht in Galway near the end of the 2024-25 season when he shaped to kick then streaked away from deep in his own half for a brilliant solo effort.

It went a long way to securing Edinburgh's place in the United Rugby Championship play-offs but Sean Everitt’s side couldn’t repeat the feat last season, finishing a lowly 12th. Shiel was one of nine players released by the club in May and is refreshingly unbitter about his fate.

“It's one of those things that happens to anyone and everyone,” he said. “It comes round. But for me, looking at it, it could definitely be a great thing.

“It's being able to go in and have different experiences, with different people, learn different things.”

He is also optimistic about what the future holds for his former club and believes the No 9 jersey is in safe hands, as young scrum-halves Hector Patterson and Conor McAlpine challenge Ben Vellacott. “Towards the end of last season, Hector got a couple of starts and you could see the difference from where he was to where he had got to after two games.

“It's what you want as a young player. It's just about getting those young guys playing, which is a tough thing in Scotland.”

A significant coaching coup

Shiel, who was called up by the GB Sevens team in May, is enjoying working with Accies and says there is a real spirit of optimism about the club as they return to the Premiership. There has been a change at the top, with Graham Bonner stepping back from head coaching duties to become director of rugby. In his place has come Michael Todd, who has spent the last four seasons as Edinburgh Rugby’s defence coach.

It’s a significant coup for Accies to appoint Todd as head coach and he will be assisted by Shiel and Simon Berghan, the former Scotland prop. It’s a strong-looking group and Shiel believes the appointment will be beneficial for both Accies and Todd himself.

“I think it probably helps massively just to have that little bit of professionalism,” said Shiel. “Toddy is a great guy and he's really passionate about developing players and also to use this as a tool to develop himself.”

Kelso away is a tough start and it doesn’t get any easier in week two when champions Ayr come to Raeburn Place but Accies are buoyant after winning National 1 last season and going through the campaign undefeated. It meant they bounced back at the first attempt after relegation the previous year.

“I think we're in a good place,” said Shiel. “We know we had a great season last year and that's what we set out to achieve at the start of the season. Dropping down from the Prem, we still had a good squad and good guys in, so we challenged ourselves to basically win it.

“Unbeaten was a bit of a bonus, but to win it was great. Coming into this season, it's great having a load of guys that are still there from last year. They know what they can do and know what they can achieve and it's great to have that confidence coming into this season, especially having a mix with all the new guys because they're coming to a winning club in a way.”

The club is also strengthening its links with Edinburgh Academy and around a dozen players who left the school in the summer are training with the senior teams. Being rooted in vibrant Stockbridge and with such a rich history, Accies are an attractive club in so many ways.

Shiel is happy to play his part but knows his next move could take him away from Scotland. He seems open to a new experience and thinks leaving the Scottish rugby “bubble” could benefit him.

“I've done stuff with age-grade Scottish rugby all the way up until professional level,” he said. “So it's the same people that you see quite often, the same players that you play with. And no matter who you've chatted to that have gone abroad, or to different clubs, they say it's one of the best things that you could do.

“You're almost in your own little bubble in Scotland in a way. So being able to go and do that, not only for playing but learning different ways of coaching, different things, it's definitely a benefit, for sure.”