Ross Rennie's return may be short-lived

THE deep freeze of a British winter may not be to every rugby player's taste, but Ross Rennie emerged from his first full match in over two years warming hugely to the challenge of helping to revive Edinburgh fortunes.

• Ross Rennie was all smiles after being named man of the match against Cardiff Blues. Picture: Ian Rutherford

The openside flanker fully deserved his man of the match accolade as Edinburgh began their recovery from the double whammy of 1872 Cup defeats to Scottish rivals Glasgow with a 21-12 win over Cardiff. There were periods in the game where Edinburgh fell off the pace, and instances where Cardiff were too poor to execute some basic scoring opportunities, but overall this was a much-improved display from an Edinburgh side striving to regain confidence.

The backs, notably Rory Hutton, the debutant stand-off, attracted much attention, but Allan Jacobsen, the loosehead prop, enjoyed a good return, Ross Ford picked up his lineout throwing, David Young made a promising contribution on his first Magners League start, and the second row of Jim Hamilton and Scott MacLeod were better than against Glasgow.

But the back row of Rennie, new No 8 Roddy Grant and Scott Newlands, who played despite suffering from illness after Alan MacDonald withdrew before the game with a virus, was at the heart of the good work, on the ground and in open play, Rennie capping it with his first try in 27 months.

Yet, as he did after his first 60 minutes back last month, he is likely to return to the gym this week and miss the Heineken Cup clash with Ulster as Edinburgh continue to manage a knee injury so serious that it could have spelled the end of a sporting career not that long ago. The 23-year-old will do so now heartened, however, by the knowledge that he has not lost the form that earned him a Scotland cap in 2008.

"There are things I need to work on and improve, but it was really nice to be back and winning, and seeing everyone's hard work pay off," said Rennie. "I was confident with my training and build up that I was in good shape, but you're never entirely sure until you play if you will reach your potential again.

"It has been great the way Rob Moffat (Edinburgh coach] has allowed the medical team to look after me, and hopefully I'll be fresher because of that, can have more impact when I do play and can ease my way back in, and make sure I don't break down again and can play the game for longer.

"It (the breaks between games] won't go on forever; it's a short-term thing and I am looking forward to being back every week. So far the knee has reacted pretty well and hopefully it's just going to keep carrying on and there won't be much thought about it as the weeks go on. We'll see how things progress over the next two weeks."

Rennie's acceptance of the rough hand he was dealt with an injury that took the best part of two years to get to the bottom of and recover from says much for his positive frame of mind and determination to succeed. But, he is human and is not looking forward to the prospect of following up a winning display against Cardiff with a return to the sidelines.

"It is hugely frustrating, I can't deny that," he added. "That was my first 80 minutes in two years I think, so playing a whole game, coming off with the win and looking forward of course you just want to get out there again. The team hasn't been picked yet for this week, but, having to watch if that is the case will be tough.

"But, it's just the way it is now and has to be my mindset. After waiting as long as I have to get back, you realise it's worth the frustration, and that by giving the body time to recover for the next game I'll be better for it. That's the up side.

"It was really nice to be part of the team on Saturday and I will continue to help the guys in any way I can, on and off the field. I think we all felt a bit of a relief at the weekend because we had to win, but I still don't think we're playing our best stuff.

"It was better, and there were some real positives, and it was a step forward, but we need to improve because we know that if we win the next two games we're definitely in with a shout of qualifying for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals."

Ulster's Magners League match with the Ospreys at Ravenhill last Friday night fell victim to the hard frost and they do not have undersoil heating. However, in an effort to ensure the Heineken Cup game goes ahead, the Irish province have hired a large marquee and commercial heat blowers which have been on the pitch since the weekend.