Hard-Nosed Cockerill Is Making A Difference

I RECKON, while last season's Edinburgh might still have beaten the Dragons, the result would have been a lot closer than it finished last night. Clearly Richard Cockerill has already instilled a more-professional attitude to his squad. The old almost Olympian ideal of it being enough to be playing at this level has gone out of the window – today in Edinburgh it's all about winning – which is great.

 Richard Cockerill

And great it was too that, even with a bonus-point win tucked away, Cockers was making it clear, he expects more from his men. Mr Cockerill is not up here to be liked, he's up here to win. Dave Rennie, across at Scotstoun is another winner – finally our professional sides are becoming truly hard-nosed.

As a former hooker, I would expect Cockerill to be spending some time with Stuart McInally and his locks this week. It is always easy to blame the hooker, as the thrower-in, when a line-out misfires, but, just as there is seldom one simple answer to a car crash – and some of the Edinburgh line-out work on Friday was a definite car crash, truth, it is usually a series of small problems which build-up into a big problem.

For instance, it could be as simple as a misunderstanding. I don't know who calls the Edinburgh lines-out, it is either Scotsman Grant Gilchrist, or Australian-Scot Ben Toolis. These days, most line-out calls are decided in that wee committee meeting, some ten metres back from the line-out, with a prop, usually the loose-head, delegated to pass the call onto the hooker while he is busy cleaning the ball.

So, in Edinburgh's case either the Scot or the Aussie Scot decides the call, which either a South African, or on Friday night an Italian, then relays to another Scot. All those different accents, a recipe surely for a misunderstanding and the throw not matching the call. Also, am I the only one that thinks, Ross Ford, the other Edinburgh hooker, only ever messes-up the crucial throws, the five-metre ones? Cannot handle pressure situations – surely something Cockerill can and will sort out.

But, it wasn't all bad at the touchlines – that was a superb quick throw to Jamie Ritchie at the front which gave Edinburgh go-forward momentum and put paid to Dragons' bright start.

The impressive Blair Kinghorn

There were other very-encouraging aspects ot the win – Blair Kinghorn's continued progress, that kid is looking like the real deal. The way Chris Dean is maturing, Edinburgh now, and even more-so when Mark Bennett is fit, now have real depth and thrust in the centre – where Robbie Fruean showed, once he gets fully into things, he will be a real game-changer. The line he ran for his bonus-point try was exceptional, as was that wee flipped pass from Dean which sent Kinghorn over.

Of course, Edinburgh is very much a work in progress, but, if they can build on this start, hopefully, the number of empty seats around Myreside will diminish as the season unfolds.

Last night's referee at Myreside, South African Stuart Berry, has apparently been something of a controversial figure in southern hemisphere rugby. I thought he and his two assistants did well last night, and were certainly an improvement on some of the bog trotters we have had imposed on the two Scottish sides by the Dublin refereeing Murphyia.

Stuart Berry

Of course, he had no choice but to yellow card Duncan Weir for standing on that Welshman, who knew exactly what he was doing, lying on the Edinburgh side of the ruck and making no effort to get out of the way. I have said it before, and will doubtless say it again – that's the problem with modern rugby, the lack of real rucking. In my day, you knew better than to lie there. You knew if you did, you'd get a richt guid shoein' and deservedly so.

I repeat, that day at Twickenham, when Peter Wright was penalised for standing on the most-obnoxious Englishman ever, was the day rugby lost its soul. It has been downhill ever since.

BELIEVE it or not, but, while we are, to a degree, a clannish – tribal even – lot in Ayrshire, we do see the good in each other. Which is why, it is a shame that, this afternoon, rugby fans in God's County have to choose between the well-established and the new. At Millbrae, we have what has become over the past few years THE West Region Derby, between Ayr and Glasgow Hawks; while, just up the road at Fullarton, Marr play their first BT Premiership match on home soil, against Heriot's. I know a few Ayrshire rugby fans who are facing a tough choice about which game to take-in this afternoon.

 Broon frae Troon, would have loved today's Marr match

I am at Fullarton, and am happy to be there. I expect to bump into a few of the Marr silverbacks from my era, and we should enjoy our afternoon. Mind you, it will be sad that the likes of the two Browns, from different septs of that clan – big Gordon Broon frae Troon, and the just about as big Toad Broon (no relation) will not be there, but, they will surely be looking down from the Great Clubhouse Above. Ayr, that club has come a long way.

Heriot's will come determined to win, losing at home to Stirling County last week was not in the script, so, Marr can expect a bit of a back-lash from Phil Smith's men.

Last week's BT Premiership opening produced a lot of tries and exciting rugby – more of the same please lads is the request.

IN MY last post, I was looking forward to a head-to-head between Finn Russell and James Hook, at Scotstoun this afternoon. It may still happen, but, Ospreys are going with young Sam Davies at ten – which is even-better news for the fans. Because, I just reckon Russell and Davies are the two best running stand-offs in the British game, and, if both are on-song, the fans are in for a treat of running rugby.