Sitting in front of the Edinburgh team management in recent weeks it has at times felt like a version of “FIFA Rugby” is being played on a games console, with endless messages being directed from coaching booth to touchline to be relayed to players.
That is not how it feels on the pitch, however, if the testimony of Damien Hoyland is to be believed.
In essence the message from the 23-year-old winger is that nothing the players do is a wholly bad decision, the right ones rewarded by results, the wrong ones an opportunity to demonstrate the right attitude.
“There is a lot more freedom,” he said of the regime being run by Richard Cockerill since the Englishman took over as head coach. “We can play from everywhere. It is great to have that freedom. It is just all about decision-making, that is the main thing Cockers wants us to focus on and execute.
“He is happy for us to have a go from our 22 if it is on. As long as it is the right decision, he will be very happy and will keep pushing it forward. That is professional sport: being a good rugby player, you need to make the right decisions at the right times. If it is the wrong decision, you have to be able to flush it quickly and get on with things.
“It is something we have definitely got better at. It has been good the last two weeks but lacked a little in execution, which is something we can work on as long as the decision-making process is right.”
Hoyland had better reason than most to feel hard done by since, for all that Stuart McInally lost control of the ball after a rampaging first-half run, it was hard to detect a knock on in the few replays shown of the incident after which Hoyland picked up the loose ball and touched down.
As both he and attack coach Duncan Hodge have suggested, it should have been referred to the TV match official.
“I thought it was [a try] but I would always say that,” said Hoyland. “To be honest I am not 100-per-cent sure. I thought there was a chance it could have been out of the hand or, even if it did go forward, went backwards before it went forwards. It was definitely worth a TMO [television match official] check.”
With Hamish Watson also noting that he is biased in his view when agreeing with his coach to feeling he had been on the receiving end of some harsh decisions on Saturday, there has been a generosity of spirit towards officialdom from Edinburgh’s players that one suspects Cockerill might want to knock out of them. However it is influenced by an awareness that they are better served by taking matters into their own hands when the opportunities arise to do so.
“Look at the line breaks we made last week, we created so many opportunities but ended out giving the ball away too easily. That is frustrating looking back, something we aim to cut out this week,” said Hoyland.
After failing to score a point in Glasgow tomorrow’s visit of the winless Southern Kings who conceded seven tries and 48 points to Edinburgh in their last PRO14 match a month ago, consequently represents an ideal opportunity to return to their free scoring form of previous weeks.
“Any game you get for Edinburgh at the moment is a big bonus, especially a game against the Kings, who like to play a quick, loose, open game that will quite suit us. If I can get my hands on the ball in a game like that I think I can have a good impact,” said Hoyland.
“It is a good opportunity to build confidence and put my foot forward for selection in the coming weeks and months.”
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