Aberdeen Grammar head coach Ali O’Connor is hoping the return of two key players can help his side get back to winning ways at GHA tomorrow.
Nat Coe and Nathan Clough were badly missed as Grammar suffered a 49-5 defeat at Edinburgh Accies and O’Connor believes the return of the duo will be crucial for tomorrow’s National 1 game against GHA at Rubislaw.
He said: “GHA play a more elaborate style of rugby with lots of off-loading and attacking from wider areas so we we’ve spent the week working on defending that as we know we will face periods where we have to deal with that threat. We will have Nat and Nathan back in the side which is a huge boost as they were both badly missed last week.
“In terms of our defensive shape, they are crucial. It’s not that their replacements there didn’t perform but, as centres, they are frontline players for us and their presence in the side is huge.”
Improving the defence has been uppermost in O’Connor’s thoughts this week following the heavy defeat in the capital.
The Grammar coach believes his side was in the game at the break despite trailing 17-5 at half-time before being punished in ruthless fashion following a sluggish start to the second half.
He said: “It was a game of two halves for us at Edinburgh Accies. We matched their physicality brilliantly in the first half in what was a really good 40 minutes from us but it took its toll in the second half as we switched off for a 10-minute spell and conceded four tries within that period.
“The effort we had put in to keep a very formidable and impressive Accies side at bay in the first half was a big factor in what happened in the second half and we know we need to improve defensively.”