Tom Aplin feels the inexperience of the squad at Aberdeen Grammar is showing in their inconsistent form in National One.
Grammar are going through a transitional period after relegation and trying to bring through new leaders, rather than relying on the same faces all the time.
That has seen them struggle for wins and they sit second-bottom of the league, ahead of the visit of leaders Kelso to Rubislaw on Saturday.
Aplin, one of Grammar’s seasoned veterans, believes the Covid-enforced break in Scottish rugby has had a knock-on effect and unfortunately there is no substitute for time on the park.
“It’s been such a problem for them losing two years of rugby,” said Aplin. “They need as much time as possible training, being around the club and being around the boys.
“They’re getting better each week and improving. It’s always difficult playing up in Aberdeen and getting used to the travel is hard.
“We’ve got a handful of guys that have done it forever but we lost a lot of experience during Covid, players reaching the end of their careers.
“Then you’ve got guys between the ages of 19 and 22 who have lost their first two years of senior rugby. It’s learning to play at that level and also the commitment it takes to play at that level.
“It’s not just a Saturday – it’s the training, it’s the gym work, it’s the travel. It’s been such a steep learning curve for them.
“It’s been hard for the likes of myself, Sam (Knudson) and Doug (Russell), who’ve done it for years, to get back to it (after Covid). But for guys who’ve never done it, it’s a huge step up from regional or youth rugby.
“You see them learning but there’s no substitute for time, be it the number of times they’ve trained or the number of times they’ve played.”
Aplin, Knudson and Russell have all taken on captaincy roles at some stage during their Grammar careers and continue to play a key role in leading the club.
With the fluctuation of the playing squad of late, even greater emphasis has been put on leadership.
“We’ve all sort of been in that role for the last six years, at the top end of the club, and it’s something that didn’t take much effort before,” said Aplin.
“But this last couple of years it has been something we’ve had to put more emphasis on. It’s not just us – it’s bringing through other guys to spread the load.
“You need some of the younger guys to start taking responsibility, taking ownership and owning parts of it. Youssef (Salem) is calling the lineout and he’s 23, Paddy (Ritchie) at scrum-half is 23 and is running that, Craig Shepherd at full-back is 23.
“It’s giving these guys the opportunity to lead and us managing that in a way that things are done properly.
“They’ve got people to turn to but it’s up to them to take ownership. You can’t just rely on the same faces; we’re all getting older and having more miles in the tank. We need these guys to take over as they’re going to be driving the club forward.
“It’s these guys we’ve put a real emphasis on this year, getting them into leadership positions and getting their input into strategies and game plans. That’s vital for the club going forward.”
Grammar were thumped by Biggar last weekend on home soil and have two wins to their name this season.
It is going to take time for them to rebuild themselves into an outfit capable of challenging for promotion back to the Premiership again.
“We’re going through the same transition we would have gone through eight-to-10 years ago,” added Aplin. “Guys like myself, Sam and Doug stepped up from the seconds into the firsts and that was when we got relegated before.
“We were a very young team and consolidated, before getting up into the Premiership and winning the National Cup.
“Now we’re sort of back in that process again. We’ve lost guys like Greig (Ryan) and Robin Cessford, who’ve played a lot of rugby, and we’re bringing through a lot of talented young guys.
“It just takes time and unfortunately these guys have not got the experience the older guys had. It shows in making mistakes at key times – they’ve just not got the experience they need to get.”
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