THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS

Cup finals a pinnacle for some, a platform for others



IT IS a case of 'lights, camera, action' in Scottish rugby this afternoon with some of the leading club players bidding to produce the performance of their lives on Murrayfield's hallowed stage.

For most of the 176 players involved in today's four Scottish Hydro Electric finals, simply reaching this stage and having the chance to run out of the famous tunnel is an achievement that will gild their rugby careers, but for a handful it could signal the beginning of a new dream.

It is not difficult to recall Cammie Murray toasting the first-ever cup win with Hawick, Bryan Redpath leading Melrose to glory, Gordon McIlwham inspiring Glasgow Hawks or Chris Paterson cutting a swathe through a seemingly-impregnable Kelso defence to win the trophy for Gala before the turn of the century. Since then Graeme Morrison, Euan Murray, Fergus Thomson and Rory Lawson have been among the clutch to spring from cup final to full international honours and Bob McKillop, the Heriot's coach, is confident more are capable of launching similar ambitions this weekend.

In fact, James Thompson, cousin of Lawson, son of racing presenter Derek Thompson and grandson of Bill McLaren – so another schooled in rugby on grassy knolls in Hawick – has already been signed up by Edinburgh. He plays outside centre against Melrose skipper Jamie Murray today.

McKillop said: "We all probably appreciate James' best position is at full-back and I think he is professional calibre at full-back, so we're pleased to see him stepping up to Edinburgh next season. He's a good decision-maker and a good rugby player; very classy guy, loads of time on the ball and so at 13 he is a key player for us. But we're blessed having Colin Goudie at full-back anyway and it's about getting the best players on the pitch.

"But I hope to lose more players. If they're good enough George (Breckenridge] and I will push them in every bloody direction we can to get them up to the next level. I really hope, for example, that we don't have Marc Teague at the club next season. He is our captain and is a huge influence on the team and the club as a whole, but he deserves to be a professional rugby player and I'm pushing hard to move him in that direction.

"I would also love to see Chris Fusaro move in that direction. He is outstanding; he dominated Jed at the breakdown in the semi-final and for an 18-year-old he is a very impressive young man. A dark horse for stepping up might be Craig Simmonds, our No8, who has the body shape of a Scott Quinnell – he is a very skilful, big player and we don't produce many big brutes who are also co-ordinated and quick.

"Those young lads are reasons why I think we've made it to the cup final – they have come back from the under-20s and sevens as better players."

Thompson is one of a handful of Heriot's players involved with the SRU's national academy, sevens and age-grade squads and, at 24, is evidence of the union keeping track of players who mature a bit later in their careers. He is a former Dollar pupil and while the club is not renowned these days for producing its own talent, in creating a top-quality 1st XV environment Heriot's have become something of a finishing school for ambitious club players.

They have players today from Stranraer to Dingwall and as far afield as Limerick and Belfast, but the reason the team is in the final is largely down to the ability of coaches McKillop and Breckenridge to knit various ambitions into a close club spirit. It has not brought the consistency needed to win a league championship – they finished sixth – but, on their day, Heriot's remain a stylish and difficult team to beat.

A cup winner and loser, Melrose coach Craig Chalmers insisted: "The cup final is about what happens on the day. Ask any manager at any level; anything can happen. We know that if we perform to the level we have done over the last three or four months then we have a great chance of winning, but every player has to step up a notch and make sure he makes the most of this opportunity.

"The last time we were here was in 2001 and we lost to Boroughmuir. We have worked so hard to get something tangible from the season and we're very positive and looking forward to the game."

Heriot's feel similarly, with McKillop stating that on losing to Boroughmuir themselves in December, his team resolved in the Meggetland changing rooms to throw everyone into winning the cup and, despite close affairs at Gala and Ayr, the latter McKillop rating as the best performance in his two years at the club, they are on track. The stage is set for winners.

This article was originally posted on 3-May-2008, 07:18 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 3-May-2008, 07:18.