Har die won’ t Cow-er in battle with Blair
JOHN HARDIE is ready for his personal Euro duel with Scotland mate Blair Cowan.
Hardie’s Edinburgh go into Challenge Cup battle with London Irish at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday.
Apart from his determination to help the Gunners get their campaign off to the perfect start, he’ll be aiming to get one over on Cowan in the build-up to the autumn Test series. Hardie said: “Blair and I actually get on really well.
“He came into the World Cup squad a couple of years ago and performed superbly.
“He’s a quality player and he’s been a big influence on London Irish for a long time.
“He’s someone we’ll need to watch out for, especially over the ball and when he is attacking. It will be a good challenge to get on the field against him.”
Hardie is returning to full fitness after a string of injury worries and insisted he has no anxiety about the patchy league form of the Gunners.
He said: “We know where we want to be heading and we are heading in a great direction at the moment.
“It’s about being consistent every week and bringing that fighting no-fear attitude as well. We’ve got a young team and it’s about getting everybody on the same page.
“The Challenge Cup will give the less experienced guys a lot of exposure and they’ll learn a lot.
“There will be pressure but it is something we all have to deal with. From my own point of view I am ready to rip into it.”