Heineken Cup: Lee Jones and Andrew Trimble set to collide again

EDINBURGH wing Lee Jones is looking forward to meeting Andrew Trimble on the pitch this evening after striking up a good friendship with his Ulster opponent off the field.

In an indication of how quickly Jones has risen though the ranks this will be his first meeting with Ulster, but he has come up against Trimble and will not forget that particular collision for some time. It came in the RBS Six Nations when Trimble rushed from the left wing in the Ireland match to stop Jones from off-loading for what seemed a certain try, and caught Jones’ head.

The Scot was knocked out and after a lengthy period of largely precautionary treatment he was stretchered off in only his fourth Test match. However, on the eve of his return to the Aviva Stadium Jones revealed that Trimble had been among the first to check that he had suffered no serious effects.

“He texted me when I was in the hospital after the game and then came to see me just as I was getting back to the team hotel the next day,” explained Jones.

“He just came to see that I was alright and we had a good chat. Not many guys would have done that so it left a nice impression. He’s a good guy and it was just one of those things in rugby.

“There’s not a great deal I can remember to be honest, and that’s maybe a good thing now we’re going back there! It’s not something that worries me at all; it’s part of rugby and thankfully I recovered quickly.

“I’m really looking forward to going back to such a great stadium again, and hopefully I’ll stay on the pitch and be able to remember the experience a bit more this time.”

The winger was back in his home town of Selkirk on Thursday to make a special presentation of a unique Selkirk cap to his former coach, and past SRU President George Jack, to mark 50 years of coaching at Selkirk High School. He was surprised to be handed one himself as he received lots of good wishes for today’s game.

The influence of the back threes tonight should be significant as both sides strive to release proven try-scorers, Craig Gilroy the least-known in the Ulster ranks but having shown in the quarter-final win over Munster the pace and strength that has been keeping Jones’ Scotland predecessor Simon Danielli out of the Ulster line-up.

Jones will face Gilroy, with Trimble lining up against Tim Visser, while Tom Brown, just turned 22, and legendary Springbok Stefan Terblanche, now 36, conjure up a fascinating duel of young versus old at full-back. But it is a new experience for the Selkirk man.

He said: “I’ve never played Ulster so I’d never played Trimble before the Six Nations nor the rest of them. I think it’s the only team in the RaboDirect I haven’t played, because I was injured when we played them this season at home.

“But that just makes it more exciting I think. The Aviva Stadium is going to be something new for most of the Edinburgh boys, and to play at another international stadium, which is quite different to most others with its open end, makes it different. I guess there will be a majority of Ulster fans but with 50,000 people from wherever in there it will be a great atmosphere.”

The squad plan to return tonight from Dublin with Jones this time on the flight with his team-mates, not least because he is planning to head to Murrayfield tomorrow to see his former team, Selkirk Youth Club, in their fifth U18 Cup Final in the past decade, up against familiar foe Stirling County.

“They have done well again, so I hope to be there,” the winger added, “and it would be nice to turn up knowing you’re in a Heineken Cup Final.

“This game can’t come quick enough really. Obviously, there’s a lot of excitement and hype around it, and I think it helps that I’ve experienced that now with Scotland, but as soon as the whistle goes it’s just another game … and just another game in Europe that we are desperate to win.”