Cockerill: It’s a small pool in Scotland
Edinburgh Rugby coach Richard Cockerill has expressed sympathy with Gordon Strachan’s plight following the Scotland football team’s World Cup exit but believes his controversial “genetics” remarks were “not his best”.
In the wake of Scotland’s latest failure to reach a major finals, Strachan suggested a lack of height and strength meant his side could not cope with bigger teams in Europe.
Cockerill, the former England hooker and Leicester coach who has taken over at Edinburgh this season, was asked about the remarks and, after making the move north, whether he thought they might also apply to rugby.
“I like Gordon Strachan, I am a Coventry City supporter and he was the manager there. He normally comes out with great quotes. I am not sure this was one of his best,” he said.
“It is difficult. It is a small country with a small pool of players whatever sport it is. Expectation is the thing that kills you; when you are expected to win, expected to make it to competitions and you don’t make it.
“Obviously that puts pressure on people who run those teams. I am sure he does not mean it in a detrimental way. He [Strachan] is not a big man but was full of fire and I am sure still is.”
Richard Cockerill was on standard straight-talking form yesterday when he said Edinburgh would be around the bottom of the pile if they were playing in England’s Premiership.
Considering they have been flirting with the basement of their own competition regularly in the past few years that could actually be as close to a bit of sugar coating as you’re likely to get from the blunt Englishman as there is an argument for saying his new club might not even be good enough to be in the Aviva Premiership. “I think Edinburgh would be in and around that group of teams – the Gloucesters and the London Irishes,” said Cockerill. “The [Aviva] Premiership seems to be a top six and a bottom six. With the budgets that we work on, and where we are at the moment, we’re not a dissimilar side to London Irish.”
Fortunately for Edinburgh and Cockerill it is London Irish, who lie second
0 Richard Cockerill: Straight talking. bottom in the English top flight, that they face on Saturday in Reading to kick off their European Challenge Cup campaign.
After a 16-15 home win over Zebre took their Guinness Pro14 record to won three, lost three, Cockerill was asked if the squad were relishing the switch to a competition in which they have recently overperformed compared to their bread-andbutter domestic duties.
“We’re a cup team, you mean?” said the coach with a smile. “I think the emphasis on Europe is good in either competition. The club have enjoyed good cup runs over the last ten years or so, and been to a final in this competition recently [losing to Gloucester in 2015].
“London Irish have had a tough start to the season, as we have. They’re a good team to play against, good stadium to go to, good pitch – I think the boys are looking forward to it. They had a bit of a spring in their step today; they were happy with the win at the weekend.
“We know we’ve got a lot of work to do in the league, we’ve got two big games after this – and a road trip to Russia in between. It’s interesting times.”
Cockerill is counting the cost of another bruising encounter at Myreside last Friday against the Italian side.
He said: “It was not ideal with [fullback Blair] Kinghorn going off very early. [Centre] James Johnstone had a nasty knock to the head – he’s okay and he’s recovering well. Blair’s got quite a nasty laceration on his knee from a blade when he was making a tackle.
“We’re okay. We’ve got a few bumps and bruises, but no more than they got. We’ve got a good squad and we’ll use it this weekend.” Stirling County kept their 100 per cent record this season in the Shogun under-18 Conference after clocking up their seventh win of the season in the competition with a 58-0 victory over a Hamilton side still adjusting to a higher level of rugby after gaining promotion.
The Bridgehaugh youngsters have averaged nearly 50 points per match this season with a series of performances that will make them firm favourites to win the youth Cup.
Yesterday, County ran in ten tries, a brace each from front rows Lachlan Mackay and David Moat and one apiece from wingers Aidan Adams and Piers Collins, back rows Donald Mclaren and Andrew Rutherford, replacement Ben Mace and scrum-half Adam Shaw who also kicked four conversions.
Occupying second and third positions in the under-18 table are Highland and Boroughmuir.
In Inverness, Highland produced their best performance of the season so far in overwhelming Biggar for a 85-7 win.
George Hurst scored four tries for Highland and there were doubles from Jake Henry and Ryan Robertshaw and one-try contributions from Tom Smith, Jacob Powell, Richie Dinnes, Ewan ball, and Josh Ryder.