Hometown boy Jacobsen hopes loyalty will pay off

ALLAN Jacobsen has watched in dignified silence over the years as many of his Edinburgh team-mates have left the club in search of fame, fortune and success elsewhere.

He is a hometown boy at heart, and has never had cause to feel tempted by the bright lights of the English Premiership or the French Top 14. As a consequence he has had to get used to being among the also-rans when the race for Heineken Cup quarter-final qualification enters the final few furlongs.

It must have been tough for such a fearsome competitor to be involved in so many European campaigns which have been derailed by Christmas.

Now, in his 33rd year on this planet and his 14th as an Edinburgh player, there is a sense that he is tickled by the idea that his loyalty might finally be about to pay off, with Edinburgh heading into tomorrow night’s clash with Cardiff Blues on the sort of roll which has not been witnessed by supporters of the capital outfit since the one and only time a Scottish team reached the quarter-finals seven years ago.

Having ground out an gritty victory at London Irish in their first match of this year’s Heineken Cup campaign, before mounting a thrilling comeback to despatch Racing Metro 92 at Murrayfield in their second game, Michael Bradley’s men currently top Pool Two – which means that if they can manage a 50 per cent return from their double-header against the Welshmen during the next eight days they will be in the driving seat for emulating the class of 2003-4.

“That year we won the first five in a row, but we’ve not won the first two games in the Heineken Cup since then, so we’ve put ourselves in a great position,” said Jacobsen. “The boys have got loads of confidence, and we’re really looking forward to going down there.

“December is always a massive month and we usually spend it fighting an uphill battle so far as the Heineken Cup is concerned. This time we’re in a good position and the boys are just desperate to push on from here and really make everyone sit up and take notice.

The impressive thing about Edinburgh’s start to this year’s Heineken Cup campaign is that it has been achieved by a team containing more than its fair share of youngsters.

Jacobsen said: “There was a lot of chat at the start of the season about how we were going to really struggle, and we’ve obviously lost a lot of good, experienced players over the last couple of seasons – but these young guys have made everybody who has doubted them eat their words.”

Edinburgh have endured six defeats on the bounce against Cardiff in a losing streak stretching back to September 2009. But Jacobsen argues that this statistic means very little to the current crop of players. “If you look at our starting XV compared to the last couple of years – it is very different. And Cardiff will have a lot of different players as well. The fact we lost there a few seasons ago doesn’t mean anything in real life. A lot of these guys weren’t there and don’t care. All they are interested in is playing well and enjoying winning, and that’s all I care about as well.

“It is going to be tough, there’s no doubt about that – but we know we can win it. I think it’ll be a really good game, with us finishing with our noses ahead.”

Nobody has ever questioned Jacobsen’s determination, but it is clear that the current buzz in the Edinburgh camp has provided a timely revitalisation to his appetite for the game.

“After the World Cup there was just so much disappointment and frustration, so when we got back to Scotland and were given a couple of weeks off I thought that was what I needed – but after the first week I was just desperate to get back training and playing,” he said.

“Then, to come back, and meet a lot of these guys for the first time – there was just this enthusiasm at training which was great to be involved in, and it has been like that ever since.

“All these new players coming in this season has definitely made a difference. Everyone wants to prove themselves. Everyone is hungry. Everyone wants more. That’s just the way it is – and it’s great because I might be one of the old guys but I want more as well.”

Squad: M Blair, T Brown, S Cox, G Cross, N De Luca, D Denton, R Ford, J Gilding, P Godman, R Grant, J Houston, A Jacobsen, L Jones, J King, G Laidlaw, S Lawrie, H Leonard, E Lozada, S McInally, C Paterson, R Rennie, K Traynor, S Turnbull, N Talei, T Visser.

• Montpellier will be without a clutch of their top players when they face Glasgow at Firhill on Sunday in the Heineken Cup.

The team will be officially announced today, but The Scotsman understands that among those remaining in France are captain Fulgence Ouedraogo, locks Thibaut Privat and Mickael DeMarco, and scrum-half Julien Tomas (all injured), along with fly-half François Trinh-Duc and flanker Mamuka Gorgodze, who are rested. Glasgow name their side today.

Montpellier XV (to play Glasgow at Firhill on Sunday, 11 December): J-B Peyras; M Bustos Moyano, T Combezou, P Bosch, P Bérard; S Fernandez, E Escande; G Shvelidze, M Ladhuie, G Jgenti/K Kervarec, J Tuineau, D Hancke, V Bost, R Martin (capt), A Tulou.