Do we give up or do we get better?
Cockerill wants his Gunners to bounce back from flop
RICHARD COCKERILL believes a Euro showdown with star-studded Bordeaux will be the ultimate test of character for his Edinburgh side.
And in the wake of their Pro14 semi -final heartbreak, the Gunners coach wants his players to prove their pedigree by bouncing back in the Challenge Cup quarter-final.
Ulster earned a place in the Pro14 Final, which they went on to lose to Leinster, thanks to an 80th-minute penalty.
Cockerill said: “Clearly we weren’t as far down the development curve as we thought and we let ourselves down.
“But what do we do? Do we pack all our kit away and never play again – or do we get out there, dust ourselves off and get better?
“Bordeaux are a very good team. If Covid hadn’t come along, they probably would have been French champions.
“We’re not looking as far ahead at the prize of a European semi-final, we’ve just got to improve our decision-making and control of the game.
“We need to make sure, if we’re in a similar position on Saturday to the one we were in at Murrayfield the week before last, we don’t end up with a similar result.”
It will be Edinburgh’s third clash with Bordeaux in under a year. And Cockerill added: “We’re good enough to compete with them and beat them if we get it right.
“We drew 16-16 at home and when we took a mixed team to their place we found it tough. The French clubs have big squads and Bordeaux can pick two forward packs that would compete with any in Europe.
“They also they have a very good backline, a first-rate kicking game and they are well organised.
“But we know if we execute and we are accurate, we can more than compete and stay in the game.
“I will pick the best team that’s available and one I think is ready to win the game.”
Edinburgh are set to sign South African lock Andries Ferreira on a loan deal to ease their second-row injury woes.
Cockerill said: “Fraser McKenzie is out for several months with a dislocated shoulder and we’ve got some concussion issues with Lewis Carmichael.
“In a few weeks’ time we’re going to lose two locks to international duty for two months, so we’re looking at some options to give us some cover and Ferreira is one.
“The autumn Test spell is going to be a challenging time because we have a recruitment freeze. We’ll try to make the best of what is clearly not a perfect scenario.”