Rugby: British & Irish Cup fear for threadbare Heriot's

HERIOT'S coach Bob McKillop admits the unavailability of key men means the timing of this month's opening match in the inaugural British & Irish Cup is far from ideal for the Goldenacre outfit.

A place in the competition was the reward for finishing second in last season's Premiership Division One and offers McKillop's team a chance to taste cross-border competition. But a nightmare injury list means that, the attraction of seeing his side compete against players of the quality of former All Black scrum-half Jason Spice, now of Bristol, has lost some of its lustre.

Heriot's will be at home to Nottingham on Saturday, 21 November in their first pool fixture but, with as many as 13 first-team squad members set to be out of action, what should be an exciting prospect for the club could stretch their playing resources to the limit.

Several key individuals sustained injuries before the league campaign had even started, and the problem has multiplied over the past two months as a string of players have suffered a variety of problems and forced McKillop to delve ever deeper into his pool of players.

"It's an injury list like nothing I have ever encountered before," he said.

"We had another one against Selkirk on Saturday when Andy Douglas took a knock right from the kick-off and ended up in hospital. We have been losing one or two players every game."

And, pointing to the fact that he is already operating with minimal resources, he added: "We are at breaking point just to be competitive in Premier One. If you take between 12 and 20 players out of any squad, they are going to find it tough. It is a huge problem for an amateur club."

The new competition has been welcomed by many involved in club rugby north of the border – current Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership champions Ayr will also participate, as will the Gael Force side which is drawn from the Scottish Rugby Academy, who will play home matches at Stirling's Bridgehaugh ground. McKillop has previously voiced his reservations over pitting amateurs against professionals from England, Wales and Ireland, but he believes that his players deserve the right to test themselves at a high level.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for everyone, but a massive challenge," he added. "Playing in the competition is a bonus. I know there are lots of other teams who would love to be in the competition."

As an amateur turning out for Stirling County, McKillop played against professional sides and was conscious of the gulf between the two levels. And he is aware that, with the likes of ex-pro Marc Teague as well as Scotland age group caps Michael Maltman and Struan Dewar among the absentees, he may be forced to field a highly inexperienced team. "I watched Bristol against Coventry on television last week and Bristol still look like a Premiership team capable of taking on Edinburgh or Glasgow. We are ready to give it a blast but it is very much a step into the unknown," he added.

At full strength, I think we might be competitive but, at the moment, it is a monumental task. We will give it our best shot and we are desperate not to let the Scottish clubs down." The opening match is likely to feature a return to familiar territory for Nottingham lock Iain Nimmo, who was in the Heriot's ranks last season. Six days later, the Capital side will make the trip south to face Coventry and they will then have a break before the competition resumes in February and they host Neath before rounding off their qualifying matches against Bristol and Munster.

McKillop insists that his players are desperate to represent Scotland well and he is hopeful that the gap in the calendar will allow some of his men to regain full fitness and benefit from the experience. The rules of the competition allow him to request help from other Premiership clubs but he does not anticipate using that facility unless he feels that the players at his disposal are so inexperienced that their safety is at risk.

However, he is not yet ready to finalise plans for the visit of Nottingham. For now, his focus is entirely on league matters, with a showdown against West of Scotland at Goldenacre on Saturday and a clash with league leaders Currie under the Malleny Park lights the following Friday before he switches his attention.

"The British and Irish Cup is a great opportunity and we are looking forward to it but the Premiership is our bread and butter and right now we are doing our best to preserve our Premier One status for next season."