The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
O’Connor has Currie insight after Scots job
Aberdeen Grammar coach Ali O’Connor hopes his scouting mission with the Scotland club side comes in handy when Grammar host Currie Chieftains tomorrow.
O’Connor was one of the assistants for the Club XV’s games against Ireland in the Dalriada Cup – with the team featuring six Currie players.
Gregor Christie, Mike Vernel, Wallace Nelson, Fergus Scott, Rhys Davies and Steven Hamilton were the six Chieftains in the best of Scotland’s Premiership players sent to take on their Irish counterparts.
O’Connor was accompanied by Grammar forwards Nat Coe and Robin Cessford for the games in Galashiels and Dublin.
Second-placed Currie go to Rubislaw looking to chase down leaders Marr.
O’Connor said of the Dalriada Cup stint: “It’s been helpful, that’s for sure. I know Currie a bit better, what they can do and what they can’t do so well.
“They’re a good team and have a good bunch of players that I now know a little bit about after the last few weeks.
“We know where there threats come from – they’ve got a great forward pack and inside backs.
“If we can perform and not have a huge error count, who knows what can happen.”
The Grammar head
coach also hopes Cessford and Coe have benefited from the two games, despite Scotland losing 39-17 on home soil and then 22-17 a week ago at Energia Park.
He added: “Both of them didwellwhentheycame into the team.
“Nat started and Robin came on in the second game in which he was quite crucial to the team’s recovery.
“It’s good that both of them were involved and hopefully that rubs off on other guys in the team.
“It was my first time with the Club XV and it’s great to be working with a whole bunch of players you’re usually working against.”
Cessford will miss tomorrow’s game due to family commitments, with Jamie Troup starting at scrum-half and Tom Aplin at centre.
It will be Grammar’s first game in four weeks due to the start of the Six Nations championship.
They beat GHA 21-19 on January 18 in their most recent game.