October start back date is a major boost

Stathaven coach Grant Neilson says Scottish Rugby talking about a potential October start-up will provide a massive boost to his players.

Neilson says it will inspire his players, and says he intends to use the coronavirus lockdown as a spur.

But he says he won’t bring his players back until Phase 3 at the end of July, because not enough of them can otherwise get involved.

He said:“Being back in October gives the boys a bit of a boost, giving them a date to get back to doing what they love is great, because they’re all buzzing to get back, which is fantastic.

“We’ll probably look to get back to training at the end of July, because the boys are desperate to get back to any form of rugby, even if it’s touch rugby.

“I don’t even think it’s contact that the boys are crying out for, I think it’s just getting the ball back in their hands and being allowed to run about with their mates.

“It’s something that everybody took for granted, and now that it has been taken away, you realise how much it actually means to you, and how much you want to play rugby; how much of a privilege it is.

“That’s a great thing and all it’s going to do for the attitude is improve it. Being able to look back on a time when they couldn’t play rugby – how much more motivation can you ask for.”