Small-minded hatred of near neighbours must be set aside in favour of a widespread capacity to loathe all opponents with similar intensity for the 80 minutes of a sporting context according to the Englishman who is leading a Scottish side into competition against his own compatriots and former colleagues over the next two weekends.
A determination to bring about cultural change has been a recurring theme during Richard Cockerill’s stewardship of Edinburgh and as the former Leicester Tigers and England hooker prepares to pit his wits against two of the most influential figures in his career, he claims he will not be tapping into the most base instincts of his players.
Instead, these crucial back-to-back Champions Cup meetings with a Newcastle Falcons side that is coached by his former Tigers team-mate Dean Richards and John Wells, another ex-Tiger who gave Cockerill his first coaching job, but could also contain John Hardie, the Scotland flanker who ran into disciplinary problems soon after Cockerill joined Edinburgh and subsequently left at the end of last season,would seem to serve as an opportunity to reinforce messages he has been delivering about taking the same winning mentality into every match.
“Like anything you’ve got to get past the emotional part and just play good rugby. It’s not about beating the English, it’s nearly Scotland anyway isn’t it, Newcastle… isn’t it part of the Borders? I shouldn’t say that, don’t quote me,” he quipped.
As so often there were many true words contained within the jesting of one who revels in the role of pantomime villain all year round.
“It’s not about being English and Scottish... if we’ve got to motivate our boys by saying ‘hate the English’ it’s not what we’re about,” he continued.
“There’s only so many times you can tap into the emotional bucket to drag it out of them. I don’t care who we play against and what nationality they are, I’m not fussed. I hate anyone not playing for Edinburgh, it makes no difference to me whatever nationality they are. We’ll concentrate on being as good as we can be.”
In that context, as his players move into a season-defining month of fixtures as back-to-back festive derbies against Glasgow Warriors also loom, he might have been expected to have been enraged by his side’s performance last weekend when six tries were conceded in the opening half in Munster. Instead Cockerill suggested it had been all but inevitable and drew consolation from the way they responded during much improved second half which included a scoreless third quarter.
“With the squad we had out last week, it’s understandable that you’re going to get those types of result,” he observed.
“The positives are that we didn’t capitulate. It could have been horrible... but the boys rallied and we found a foothold in the game. A lot of those young guys are getting experience at that level..Munster were just far too good for us, it’s as simple as that.”
To that end, Edinburgh’s players can rest assured that as tough as their coach may sometimes be with them, he will be just as assertive when supporting them when the need arises and that thrashing in Munster has strengthened his resolve to make representations on his club’s behalf regarding issues he has raised this season having repeatedly raising questions that cast doubt over the competitive integrity of the Pro14. Previously he had targeted refereeing standards while, having been unhappy with his team having opened the season with three road trips in their first four matches, he was even more critical of having to head for Munster just a couple of days after Newport, with a weakened squad.
“It’s something I want to bring up, because when that schedule was put in the programme there’s got to be a little bit of empathy,” he observed.
“Some of it doesn’t always feel like it’s that well thought through. As a club, it’s just about trying to get a say in that so you can actually put your opinion across. We had no say in it.
"We tried to get the kick-off moved to an earlier time, which it was supposedly meant to be at Newport (against Dragons), but we were told by the television and by the Pro14 that the Dragons decide when the kick-off time is and not the Pro14. That seemed like the tail was wagging the dog a little bit, but what can you do?”
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