Rugby: Penguin star Nash wants a pick-me-up



Published Date: 06 March 2009
By BILL LOTHIAN
WATSONIAN full back Alan Nash aims to celebrate returning to the representative rugby scene by helping his relegation-haunted club distance themselves from the drop with a win over Glasgow Hawks at Myreside tomorrow.
Former Scotland under-19 captain Nash turned out this week for the Penguins Select in an annual encounter at Oxford University.

And for Nash that was welcome recognition after several seasons battling various injuries which prevented him doing full justice to potential further highlighted when, as a 22-year-old he skippered Watsonians to their only Scottish Cup win so far by beating Currie in 2006.

He said: "Every game has to be treated as a bit of a bonus after my injury problems but what struck me on returning is the fact that there's too much talent around the club for us to be flirting with relegation.

"With Ben Di Rollo, Gregor Wood and Jamie Blackwood in particularly good form it is mainly a matter of keeping calm and last week's Scottish Cup win at Stewart's Melville was a step in the right direction because in the past that was a game we could have lost.

"When they took the lead in the first minute after turning over our possession heads might have gone down as recently as two months ago. Instead we knuckled down, helped by the fact that (Edinburgh and Scotland's) Matt Mustchin is doing a good job coaching our forwards.

"Now we have a chance to leapfrog Hawks and pull further clear although that will make them even more dangerous tomorrow."

Nash's value is stressed by Watsonian head coach Bruce Aitchison, who said: "It was interesting to learn from Stewart's Melville coaches last week that, even though Alan hasn't been playing, they were keen to shut him down although his ability to communicate and read the game still shone through.

"You wonder how Alan missed out on a professional contract and it must be partly down to the fates putting him in the wrong place at the wrong time but that is to our advantage at Watsonians."

With Richard Minto unavailable 'Sonians hope to include Max Learmonth fresh from a try-scoring display on the wing for Scotland under-19s while Andy Fisher and top try-scorer Tupu Saena face late fitness tests.

This article was posted on 6-Mar-2009, 21:38 by Hugh Barrow.