IF Test Match rugby is the pinnacle for a player, what comes below that in the game’s pyramid system may depend on where you play, and, who you play for. Hamish Watson has played enough of the former to have his own ideas on that subject, and right now, the Edinburgh flanker reckons he is involved in the next best thing to pulling on that thistle jersey.
Having opened up their Champions Cup campaign against Montpellier yesterday, next weekend, Edinburgh play host to Toulon. When it comes to challenges in the professional game, there are not too many bigger than facing up to the French superstars. And that means a change of mindset and emphasis, according to Watson.
“I think the build-up is slightly different. When you come and play these teams in the Champions Cup – and we obviously haven’t played in the Champions Cup for the last few years – to be back in it, it does feel more like a Test week. You are up against some good opposition and a lot of talent, and international players, so, it does feel more like a Test week and they are going to be tough games.
“There are a lot of stars in all the teams we are playing in the group stage, and we are going to have to be at our best,” says the Scotland No 7, who knows that home advantage at Murrayfield my count for little against Toulon.
“It’s a great place to come and play, at Murrayfield. Some of them will have played here before with France, so they’ll know the pitch, and Edinburgh. But we’re doing pretty well at home this season so it should be a good game.
“I suppose they haven’t had a great start for their standards, but, in Europe, they seem to turn it on most years. They’ve obviously got so many dangerous players that they can turn it on at any point. We’ll have to be at our best if we want to get a result.”
However difficult the assignment may be, Edinburgh fancy themselves against the three-times European champions. And Watson for one is delighted to be back contesting the Northern Hemisphere’s premier club knock-out tournament.
“We are going to have to play well to do it,” says Watson, “but if you look at our team, it is full of international players and we have been doing reasonably well when we’ve been playing for Scotland against France. There is no reason to say we cannot beat them.”
To have any chance in this section, Edinburgh's home matches, and form, will be key.
“We must win all of our home games, definitely,” Watson says. “Concentrate on those, and the away matches are going to be huge. But we have the sort of squad now where if we play at our best, we will definitely test these teams away from home, and pick up the points at Murrayfield.
“In the Challenge Cup, we still came up against some good teams and had runs to the quarter-finals. At the back end of the tournament, we were still playing against some good teams. But it will be good in the Champions Cup to have these big games,” said Watson, an integral unit in Edinburgh’s effective breakaway trio.
“We all offer something slightly different and Maggie [Magnus Bradbury] seems to be back to his best, and Bill [Mata] is playing some amazing stuff at the moment. It’s quite an exciting back row and I look forward to playing more games with them.”
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