There are flaky days, shaky days and afternoons where it is difficult to locate a cold, let alone catch one, for those in the rugby community.
Shortly after half-time on Saturday, when Watsonians trailed Glasgow Hawks 31-3 during a pivotal meeting between the pacesetters in the Scottish National League, the home coach, Marcus Di Rollo, must have feared the worst. Yet, as he revealed yesterday, following his side's remarkable recovery, in which outside-centre Scott McKean burst through the Hawks rearguard to seal a stunning 34-31 victory in the last minute, Di Rollo has faith in his charges – even if he would prefer if they didn't give their opponents a 20-point start.
"It was an amazing game, a funny match, because we never felt we were out of it, but we missed tackles in the first half and, if you do that, Hawks will punish you," said Di Rollo, the former Scotland internationalist, who gained more than 20 caps between 2002 and 2007.
"At the interval, Conan Sharman [the defence coach] lambasted the guys – he basically told them to get their finger out, and he went nuts – but the players knew they had made mistakes, and they sorted things out. It was an incredible turnaround, but it puts us into a decent position, particularly as Hawks beat us at their place."
Watsonians' success might make all the difference at the climax of the campaign, with only the champions guaranteed promotion to the RBS Premiership in 2013; the runners-up have to negotiate a play-off with the club which finishes ninth in the elite division, fought out on neutral territory.
As matters stand, the Edinburgh personnel hold a five-point advantage over Hawks, with nine wins out of 10, and Di Rollo's squad should be confident of extending that sequence when they travel to Jedburgh on Saturday, not least because they thrashed the struggling Borderers 78-3 last month.
"They are a proud club, and I am sure they will come out with all guns blazing, so we can't assume anything; it is never easy going to places such as Riverside Park," said Di Rollo, whose caution may be understandable, but whose personnel happen to have accumulated 38 points more – 44 to six – than the bottom club.
"But there is a confidence among the lads and it helps that we have now defeated everyone else in the division, so we know what we have to do to gain the right results.
"It will be important doing ourselves justice at Jed, because we then go into a string of cup fixtures, and it can be tough to keep the momentum going throughout November and December.
"Getting back to the Premiership is our priority, but we recognise that teams such as Hawks and Hawick have the same ambition, so nothing has been decided yet, and last weekend offered a reminder of the thin margins there are in this sport."
Watsonians have regrouped and taken strides forward under the likes of such driven individuals as Di Rollo and Sharman, allied to the emergence of a motivated band of talented youngsters. In common with many other Scottish clubs, they have switched priorities away from the days when Southern Hemisphere emigres used to pitch up in the winter, so much so that one was never sure whether biltong or bridies would be on the menu.
And, although we are still in the autumn, one suspects that the buzz generated from retrieving that Hawks deficit might prove the catalyst for 'Sonians to power to their goal.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Aberdeen Grammar were staring down the barrel of relegation at the interval when they trailed fellow-strugglers Dundee HSFP 12-3. Fuelled by a terrific display from their battle-hardened pack, led by former Scotland A prop, Stuart Corsar, they turned things round in the second period and eventually won 23-12. It was an outcome which lent hope to the Rubislaw personnel and put fresh pressure on the vanquished.
TALKING POINT
Have Melrose lost their grip on the Premiership title? The champions went down to Stirling County at The Greenyards and have been uncharacteristically vulnerable this season. Now, they are playing catch-up to Ayr and Gala and need to rally quickly.
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