FORWARDS THINKING
Sticking with Edinburgh is fastest route to success, insists Ford
ROSS FORD has a simple message for those that fear Edinburgh’s form may be lost in a player exodus at the end of the season. ‘We are building towards success, so who would want to be anywhere else but here when we get there?’ he said.
There has been much talk in recent weeks around the fact that more than 30 players are out of contract at the end of the season. But, after the club confirmed head coach Alan Solomons has signed on until 2017, Ford gave the strongest signal yet that the team, including notably the in-form front row of himself and props Alasdair Dickinson and WP Nel, will remain together.
The experienced hooker insists that speculation around whether Edinburgh will have sufficient funds to retain all of their burgeoning squad has flown over the players’ heads, as they focus on the unique back-to-back challenges of London Irish and Glasgow Warriors in the coming four weeks.
‘Contracts are a personal thing, so you don’t really talk about it between players,’ he said. ‘Sometimes you’ll ask when their contract is up, and there’s always a bit of changingroom banter, but it’s personal, so you to tend to leave them to it.
‘We know that contracts will come to an end, some will move on, others will come in, and you learn not to let it affect you or your performances.’
So, if he were to lose his front-row lieutenants Nel and Dickinson, it would not faze him?
‘I never said that,’ he added. ‘I know I want to stay here and I know they are enjoying their rugby, too, but there’s a real desire from everyone now to play their part in bringing real success to Edinburgh.
‘When Alan (Solomons) came in, he said we needed to have stronger foundations to compete, which meant a stronger set-piece and better forward play all round, and that we’d develop a winning team on top of that.
‘We’ve done that, year on year, built a strong pack that knows what it’s doing, and now Hodgy (coach Duncan Hodge) has come in and is working really well with Alan on the attack — you can see the squad developing with young players adding to the mix.
‘I can only speak for myself and I know I’ll be happy to stay, but whether the SRU want me to is up to them. But you go through your whole career wanting to win titles, and all I’ve wanted since I came here from the Borders was to help Edinburgh be a force in Europe.
‘Now I can see how we can get there, so you wouldn’t want to be somewhere else when we do, would you?’
It is not always easy for a player to discuss contracts at a time when negotiations are ongoing.
But Scottish Rugby CEO Mark Dodson and chief operating officer Dominic McKay, who pull the strings with the pro sides, and contracts, are acutely aware that — after Glasgow’s rise to the top of the Pro12 — the spotlight is on them to provide the resource for a similar turnaround in the capital.
Ford and his pack are certainly providing inspiration and, despite Friday night’s defeat against Ulster, there is belief within the squad that they are genuine top-four candidates in the Pro12 this season. Much of that stems from the front-row dominance, but what is the secret?
‘It’s not easy to put your finger on one thing,’ said Ford, ‘but it’s not magic!
‘Experience is a big part of it. Folk talk about props and hookers particularly coming into their prime in their 30s and, now I’m 31, I’m starting to understand that.
‘Dicko (32) and I have learned a lot at club and international level over the past 10 years. We’ve played a lot of teams across Europe and the world now, a lot of world-class props and hookers, and so you learn a lot about what they do to outsmart you.
‘One of the reasons our scrum has been good is because we can cope better with the wee tricks teams resort to stop you dominating.
‘WP and Dicko both chip in with ideas for how we can become stronger in terms of what we do, but also know what we can expect from certain players, certain packs, or just what somebody might try.
‘WP has picked up really quickly on what we need and worked really hard with Stevie (Scott, forwards coach) since coming here to help us build a solid scrum. He spends a lot of time studying videos and looking at little things in the scrum. So that’s a big part of it as well, the input everyone gives, and, as I said, that’s where the foundations for success, I believe have been built.
‘We’re building a more attacking, expansive game as well, but we’re doing that with the confidence that, if it breaks down or doesn’t bring us the points, we always have a solid set-piece to go back to get a foothold in the game and to dominate the opposition. You can’t underestimate the value of that.’
On Saturday, Europe appears on the horizon again as Edinburgh head to the Madejski Stadium to face the Aviva Premiership’s bottom club London Irish. Ever since Ford joined Edinburgh, on the closure of his native Borders in 2007, he has shared in the city’s liking for European success.
‘We have a great history in Europe and that inspires you as a player,’ he added. ‘When I came here, everyone knew they’d been in the European Cup quarter-finals, so it was always there, in the back of your head, that getting there again was the aim.
‘We’ve now got to the semi-finals, and the Challenge Cup Final last year, so that’s the standard now. We’ve started well again, but the next two weeks will tell us where we are. The next four really, because wins against Glasgow would get us up the Pro12 table and give us a real chance of making the Champions Cup next season.
‘It’s momentum. We kicked it off against Grenoble, carried it on in Agen and in the league, and we’re planning to keep it going — with the forwards leading the way of course!’
All my career I’ve wanted to win titles. Here, now, I see how we can get there