Heriot’s coach is hoping for good crowd at indoor clash

The first-ever BT Premiership match to take place indoors is to go ahead today at Oriam (2pm), and there is a lot at stake for Heriot’s and Currie Chieftains.

All four other top-flight matches, and pretty much all other rugby in Scotland, has fallen foul of the poor weather, but Heriot’s have managed to book Oriam, the facility within Heriot-watt University’s Riccarton campus, which has a full-size indoor pitch.

Scotland train there as do Scotland Women and the under-20s while age-grade and women’s matches have taken place on the pitch.

In the first rugby match to take place there, East played West at under-20 level in November 2016 and although players said it took some time to get used to the surface, the teams involved today should adapt pretty quickly.

This was supposed to be the last day of the regular BT Premiership season, but that will now not be the case.

Heriot’s are ten points behind third-placed Watsonians and fourth-placed Ayr and, with one more game after this, need a bonus-point victory to keep their slim top-four play-off hopes alive.

Stuart Edwards, Charlie Simpson and Robbie Mulvena all return to the backline. Struan Dewar comes into the back-row after a number of niggling injuries.

Heriot’s head coach Phil Smith said: “Hopefully we get a good crowd for this unique occasion. We have to win – simple as that.”

After a blip against Marr, a Currie win would earn a home play-off semi-final.

Stand-off Jamie Forbes is back, along with Glasgow Warriors’ Ratu Tagive and Richie Vernon.

“It should be a great spectacle indoors,” said head coach Ben cairns .“our last performance was way below par. We need the win to secure a home semi-final and it should be a very entertaining match with Heriot’s also battling hard to keep top-four hopes alive.”