Crosbie enjoying life working with Blair
AT the end of the United Rugby Championship’s first block of five games, the league table for the new tournament makes heartening reading for Scottish eyes. Edinburgh are fourth with three wins, a draw and a defeat; Glasgow lie sixth after three victories and two losses.
Neither side may quite be up to the level of the three teams at the top, Munster, Ulster and leaders Leinster, who emphasised their supremacy with a 31-15 win at Scotstoun on Friday. But, after the inconsistencies and worse which dogged both Scottish teams last season, it is clear considerable progress has been made.
In Edinburgh’s case, the 27-10 win at Zebre on Saturday was another example of how well the team have adapted to life under Mike Blair. They were some way below their best in Parma’s Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi against the bottom side, but in the end they found a way to impose themselves, claiming the bonus-point try with the last play of the game.
Luke Crosbie believes the result and the way in which it was achieved illustrate the team’s growing maturity under their new head coach.
“Mike has been great coming in,” said the openside flanker, who was named man of the match. “Everyone has bought into how he wants to play. We’ve just stuck in. We’re enjoying it and working hard and it’s going well.
“Zebre are a tough team to play. Every time we go there we need to front up and focus every moment of the game. I’m really happy to end the block with that.
“Our performance wasn’t the best, but the aim is to come away with the points and that’s what we did. So in terms of our growth as a team, if we can go to a tough place like that, against a tough team like Zebre, and come away with the points, it’s a real pleasure for us to do that and we’re really happy.”
As that man-of-the-match award suggests, Crosbie is in fine form just now, the sort of form that could well win him a first Scotland cap against Tonga this weekend. He looked sure to earn that honour in the summer, but was left frustrated along with the rest of the squad when the Tests against Georgia and Romania as well as the “A” international against England were cancelled because of Covid concerns.
Given that frustration, you might expect the 24-yearold to be anxiously awaiting the announcement of Gregor Townsend’s team to take on the Tongans. Instead, he said he would simply concentrate on his own game and let such matters take care of themselves.
“I don’t look too far ahead, that’s probably why I started to play a bit better,” he said. “I’m just enjoying training and playing with the people around me and staying in the moment. Whatever happens happens. I’m just going to work hard and give it a crack and see.”
Of course, Crosbie is not the only openside who is enjoying good form at the moment. Glasgow’s Rory Darge has arguably been the best performer in either Scottish team over the opening five weeks of the URC, perhaps rivalled only by Edinburgh scrum-half Ben Vellacott, who has been omitted from Townsend’s squad for the four matches.
Crosbie’s team-mate Hamish Watson will also come into the equation for Saturday, presuming he is deemed fit enough to play for the first time since the Lions tour after recovering from a groin injury.
The most intriguing choice to be made between Edinburgh and Glasgow candidates for a place in the team, however, will be at stand-off, where Ross Thompson and Blair Kinghorn are vying for a start. The fact Thompson played at full-back for the Warriors on Friday while Kinghorn was at 10 for Edinburgh a day later may well suggest Townsend’s thinking on the matter, and Crosbie has been impressed by how well his teammate has slotted into the role.
“He’s been great, really good. He’s a real attacking threat, got a great nudge on him. He’s got great hands. He’s really stepped up and his knowledge is great around the game, so it fills everyone around with confidence, especially his forwards when he’s bossing us about telling us what to do.”