Rugby: Di Rollo not dispirited by lacklustre opening

The 32-year-old brings a wealth of experience including 21 caps plus a spell at Toulouse which he also intends to put into effect. He will also have coaching assistance from Tom Philip whose Scotland career was ended by injury but who has recently been playing rugby league at Whitehaven.

For anyone moving from playing to coaching it is always going to be difficult initially but Di Rollo is surely better placed than most to battle adversity and turn around a team whose first four matches have seen them score just six tries - fewer than any of their 11 Premiership rivals - and concede 16 in lying bottom.

Those 21 caps include two appearances apiece against both New Zealand and South Africa while he shared in the triumph over England's World Cup winners in 2006.

A move to Toulouse might not have gone to plan due to a well documented and contentious medical issue - he provided contra evidence to a perceived heart condition - but there were opportunities to soak up knowledge over two years in south west France and, aside from life lessons, dad Paul has considerable coaching experience having called the shots at Watsonians and Gala, amongst others.

Di Rollo admits lessons are being learned quickly and a back injury sidelining him for the past fortnight might prove a blessing in disguise.

Certainly it has provided a reminder that attempting to coach from the centre of the action when moving head-first into new challenges has difficulties and, having re-crossed the touchline to call the shots, he has overseen Watsonians getting to within four points of an away win at Selkirk then, on Saturday, hold an interval lead against league pacesetters Boroughmuir.

"No question we are improving compared to first up at Heriot's" says Di Rollo. "Success was not going to come overnight.

"It (coaching) is very different from playing which is about concentrating on yourself; do that and the team looks after itself.

"In Watsonians' first two games it was strange to be on the pitch where it was easy to forget I had to coach as well, but I'm glad to have found a way to slot back into rugby.

"I'm making mistakes but learning and I'm in this for the long haul.

"The first thing is sort out mistakes as they are happening.

"We need to chat and de-brief on the pitch because there have been times when we have conceded three or four penalties in-a-row for the same offence."

What has given Di Rollo encouragement has been individual displays.

"Jamie Forbes is a great player who injects so much pace into a game and the line he ran to set up a try for Andrew Skeen against Boroughmuir was superb. Andrew shows good touches and recent Scotland under-17 captain Duncan Finnie, a real nugget, is an outstanding flanker.

"Also (new import) Dan Gorman will go on improving at second row having been here for just a week."

But time is not on Watsonians' side if they are to be among the elite when the league splits into three divisions of eight in two months, and Di Rollo knows the importance of the next three weeks with West, Hawick and Stirling County to be confronted before successive outings against heavyweights Currie, Ayr and Melrose.

"We need to start gathering points and if we can do that straight away then confidence will have grow by the time we face the leading teams" he says.