MARK Bennett is confident that the new Edinburgh Rugby Stadium will play to the team’s strengths for two related reasons. First, with a capacity of 7,800, the ground in the shadow of BT Murrayfield is far more suited to the size of crowds Edinburgh attract than the national stadium itself. And second, the centre believes that the synthetic pitch is ideal for the fast, attacking type of rugby that new head coach Mike Blair plans to play.
That pitch will host a match for the first time on Friday, when Newcastle Falcons, fresh from their 12-7 victory against Glasgow a couple of days ago, will head north. Yesterday it was the turn of Edinburgh’s supporters to get a glimpse of the ground as the team laid on an open training session, and Bennett for one was enthused by the experience.
“It was nice having fans in there today and actually having a wee sneak peek of what it’s going to be like,” the 28-year-old centre said. “The pitch is brilliant. We’ve been training on it for a little while now and we’re getting used to it.
“We’re hoping it’ll be near enough full for some of the games over the next few weeks, so I think it’ll be a cracking atmosphere in the place. It’s the perfect size for us and it’s an exciting time.”
It is a particularly exciting time for an attack-minded player such as Bennett, given the new head coach is a man very much after his own heart - someone whose instinct is to go on the offensive whenever possible. “Mike was a really attack-minded player,” he added. “And the detail he is bringing to what we’re wanting to do in attack has been excellent, so as a club we’re all really excited for the next few weeks.”
As first-up opponents, Newcastle are likely to be a very hard nut to crack. They had a game against Doncaster Knights yesterday, so the squad that competed against the Warriors on Friday night was a mixture of first choices and reserves. They are expected to be at full strength on Friday, but that will not faze Bennett.
“I saw the score, but that’s all, so I don’t know what they’re going to be like,” he concluded. “We’re just focusing on what we’ve got. It’s pre-season and we’re trying to change some things and put in place what we’re trying to do.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here