Edinburgh forwards, last night (Tuesday 2 August), travelled to Melrose to scrummage with the Premier 1 champions and their formidable pack.
The session, which took place on the rugby fields behind the Greenyards, flanked by the iconic surroundings of Melrose, consisted of wrestling, scrummaging and lineouts.
Edinburgh forwards coach, Tom Smith, who led the session spoke of the importance of being involved with local clubs and helping them to develop their game as well as their own.
He said: “We’ve been working on the set piece tonight. It’s good to see what the club teams are doing in this area and to help them develop their game and our own game.
“We want to get out and about and visit the clubs of our region. We will be looking to do this more often with other nearby teams over the coming weeks."
The Melrose forwards didn’t back down in the light of taking on the pro side and gave their all throughout the session. The hard-fought tussles were well received and competitive. Graeme Dodds, captain and No.8 for the hosts was enthused by taking on the capital side.
Dodds explained: “When the coaches told us about this session last week we were all really exited to get stuck in.
“It has been a great night. We did a lot of scrummaging which was good for us to see the techniques that Edinburgh use and to learn from the boys.”
Not only is this a chance for local clubs to practice their skills with the pros but it gives the Edinburgh coaches and players the chance to see the talents of the players who are chasing a dream of playing pro-rugby.
Roddy Grant said: “It has been a good session this evening. It’s always good to come down to God’s country! Both teams will have got a lot out of the session.
“We want to be involved with the clubs, increase our fan base and give the players who could have a good go at pro-rugby, a chance to show off their skills."
An exclusive video of the evening’s training session will be published in due course. Follow us on Twitter @edinrugbyclub and at www.edinburghrugby.org for all the latest news updates!
See the boys in action before the competitive season kicks off when they play Newcastle Falcons at home on Friday 26 August, kick-off 7.30pm. Up to ten under-18s can go free when accompanied by a paying adult, student or senior citizen (free U18s do not require a ticket). Tickets for adults are priced at: £10 (adults) and £5 (students and senior citizens).
SIGN UP FOR NEW PERSPECTIVES IN SEASON 2011/12! All of Edinburgh's RaboDirect PRO12 matches and their Heineken Cup home games are included in our 2011/12 season ticket package, where supporters can get closer to the on-field action with seating in the east stand and new pitch-side standing areas. Season tickets are priced at £35 for under-18s, £90 for students/senior citizens and £180 for adults. For more information on the benefits of being an Edinburgh season ticket holder, and to book in for the campaign under new head coach Michael Bradley, visit www.edinburghrugby.org, call 0131 346 5180 or visit the Murrayfield Ticket Centre (just off Roseburn Street) in person.
