Neil Cochrane's Edinburgh breakthrough a long time coming

NINE years ago, when Neil Cochrane was captaining the Scotland Under-21 side, nobody would have predicted that he would still be waiting to make his first start for Edinburgh. Even more unlikely, it was going to take a change of heart and a switch in position to make his dream come true.

Born and brought up in the city, there was never any doubt where his ambitions lay as he made his way through the age grades, and when he captained the likes of Ross Ford and Johnnie Beattie in the 2005 under-21s, it looked a safe bet that his Edinburgh chances were going to come sooner rather than later.

Anyone who made that bet would have lost their money. Doncaster, Rotherham, Bedford and Wasps all had his services first, and when he did eventually come home, it has been a tale of non-stop frustration as he battled to make his first club start after pulling a hamstring coming off the bench for his first match in September and then getting a half-hour cameo a couple of weeks ago against Cardiff Blues.

This weekend could be that breakthrough. With Edinburgh facing London Welsh, the Premiership whipping boys, in the European Challenge Cup, Alan Solomons, the head coach, likely to rest a few players, such as Ford, who have been on national duty and need the break.

"The initial goal for me is, first and foremost, getting some game time with Edinburgh," Cochrane said. "Ford is a fantastic player, he is there on merit ?? he has had a fantastic season and has been fantastic for Scotland. When he is away with Scotland, though, there will be opportunities. My short term target is simply to force myself in to the team with Edinburgh.

"Including EDP [Elite Development Programme] we have a total of six hookers, but then when you look at when we went over to Leinster [at the start of November], only two were fit plus Ford away with the national team. You need a lot of front row forwards with the physicality of the game, but the competition will certainly drive all the hookers."

He arrived in the summer in the final stages of recuperating from a nine-month knee injury, managed a couple of domestic club outings but lasted only eight minutes into his debut, putting him out for another 10 weeks, with his second appearance, also off the bench, a fortnight ago.

That was all frustrating enough, but it is nothing compared to the wasted years between 21 and 28 when he resolutely tried to make it as a 5ft10in flanker, rebuffing the chance to convert to hooker. "Hindsight is a wonderful thing but certainly, looking back, I did have an opportunity at Rotherham in my first season and never did it because I am stubborn; I thought I could go on to bigger and better things as a flanker," he admitted.

"The success I have had in such a short period as a hooker ?? from playing in the Championship to stepping up to the Premiership and then on to Edinburgh ?? means I probably do wish I had converted when I was 21. Hindsight is great thing."

Now that he has made the switch, following in the footsteps of Ford and paving the way for Stuart McInally, the latest back row to see the front row light, everything has come in a rush.

The task this week is to make sure that the club's fine start in the Challenge Cup, with wins at Bordeaux and at home to Lyon, is not thrown away. London Welsh, who come to Murrayfield on Sunday, have been tagged as the pool whipping boys, and all the players know a double over them would put the club on the verge of European knockout rugby, albeit in the junior tournament.

"The Premiership is a big step up for them and they do not have as much money as the other teams but they are still formidable," said Cochrane. "We have watched them and they have an exciting and dangerous back three, as well as some key runners in the forwards. They have danger all over the park and they have Gordon Ross; he is a veteran but he knows where to play the game and when to put the ball in the corners. He will pull the strings for them."