Steven MacLean has laughed off Aberdeen jibes that St Johnstone players would be more suited to rugby than football.
The Saints attacker does not think Warren Gatland will be making a late trip to McDiarmid Park this afternoon to check out any potential British and Irish Lions contenders ahead of his squad selection next week.
MacLean insisted that the on-pitch put-downs during a game at Pittodrie this season show that the Perth men have got into the Dons’ heads, rather than the other way round.
MacLean said: “There have been issues going back a distance between the clubs I suppose but it is all good banter.
“We are old school and we embrace it. We are up for it.
“What was the reaction in the dressing-room when we were called rugby players? We had a right good laugh.
“It didn’t get under our skin. If anything by them calling us rugby players I think maybe it showed we had got under their skin.
“I know the Lions squad is being announced soon but I don’t think any of us will make it.
“You look at the size of these guys and apart from big Zander Cark at second row we’d only have a few in with a chance at scrum half.
“Look, we know what we are. We aren’t rugby players but we do work hard and teams don’t like playing us. It’s a compliment to us. We make it difficult for teams but we also know we have a bit of quality about us as well.
“We aren’t going to let them roll over the top of us. We look to make things hard for opposition teams, in Perth or away from home. We have to make sure wekeep doing it.”
Aberdeen v Saints has become one of the Premiership’s fiercest head-to-heads, with a September League Cup quarter-final ending up with a dressing-room bust-up.
But MacLean believes the rivalry is a healthy one.
“There is real respect here for Aberdeen and their management team,” he said. “I played with half of them. And deep down they probably respect us.
“I know what Derek McInnes and Tony Docherty are like. Derek has done a fantastic job and they have had a great season.
“We know they will be bang at it and he will have them up for it. We have to be ready because they deserve to finish second in the league this season. They have quality all over the pitch.”
