Rugby: Young talent will thrive with Di Rollo

With 'Sonians having endured a difficult Scottish Hydro Premiership campaign that concluded with a fraught battle to avoid relegation, Harris is looking for a significant improvement in fortunes next season.

He said: "We certainly want to be stronger but we have to be realistic. We don't have much money to bring in players so we know we need to give our young talent a chance to develop."

And that, Harris believes, is where the presence of Di Rollo can pay off. "He is popular with the players and has a lot of experience and knowledge.

"Any young backs wanting to learn about the game would find it useful to have Marcus as their coach. He knows how the modern game is played and a lot of young players at the club are already benefiting from that."

Di Rollo assisted Bruce Aitchison in the season just ended and was also involved in a playing capacity. Watsonians eventually ensured their top-flight status with a hard fought 20-18 win at Melrose in their final fixture.

And, while his coaching experience is limited, Di Rollo brings knowledge gleaned from his time as a professional at Edinburgh Rugby and Toulouse and an international career in which he earned 21 caps for Scotland.

He will be assisted by Andy Barnett and Andrew Ker, while Harris also hopes Ally Hogg will resolve his current contract negotiations with Edinburgh and remain involved at Myreside.