GETTING TOUGHER

Richard Cockerill looked an interesting acquisition at the start of the season and the former Leicester Tiger has worked wonders to drag the laughing stock of the league into the end-of-season playoffs and win a little respect on the way.

It is only going to get tougher from here because the real test comes next season when everyone knows just what Edinburgh are capable of doing. Second-season syndrome can be debilitating.

“It’s always easy when you turn up and no one treats you with respect,” says the Englishman. “It’s about when we come back in four weeks’ time and teams like Munster know what’s coming and it makes it doubly hard. I wouldn’t say this has been easy, but it probably is the easiest part.”

Cockerill likes to keep things simple. He is a little old school and would regard that comment as a compliment. And to underline any point he is making he has a habit of adding “simple as” to the end of any sentence.

So, reflecting upon Saturday’s game: “We have to keep building and getting better, it’s as simple as that… good sides have come here and left with a lot worse result… they are a good side and are well coached and we just have to learn, simple as that… you don’t win knockouts at the first time of asking… there were opportunities to win the game, as simple as that.”

There were opportunities and Edinburgh could have won but they made too many mistakes to deserve it and, when they went looking for a try in the final eight minutes, the shortcomings

“It’s about when we come back in four weeks time and teams like Munster know what is coming”

RICHARD COCKERILL pointed to several signings he has already made.

“Our budget isn’t particularly big,” he reminded everyone. “So we have Matt Scott coming in, we have [Simon] Hickey [a Kiwi from Bordeaux] who is an experienced ten and he’s got a very natural feel for the game but the reality when you get to the top end – and this team will work really hard – [is that] you need another three million quid to have the squad you want at this level.”

So what is the club’s aiming to achieve next season? “We have to try and win our next game,” replies Cockerill. Simple as.