'Not a bloody gentleman's club' - Pierre Schoeman on brutal reviews and not letting the Edinburgh fans down

The capital club’s reputation as underachievers is not one that sits well with the squad who will bid to secure a much needed win this Friday when Benetton visit Hive Stadium.

No one could accuse them of lacking fight during last week's 20-19 defeat by Munster in Cork where indiscipline was their downfall.

Edinburgh collected four yellow cards across the 80 minutes and conceded three tries while their players were in the sin bin.

The result coupled with a pallid loss to Zebre in Parma on the season's opening weekend means Edinburgh are already playing catch-up in the United Rugby Championship.

They have the chance to rectify things on Friday in front of their own supporters in their long-awaited first home game of the season.

‘It’s unacceptable...’

Schoeman felt the players gave it their all in difficult circumstances against Munster and admitted the criticism stings.

“Yeah, a lot,” says the prop. “I mean, the reviews we have, we're brutally honest with each other. It's not like a bloody gentleman's club where you rock up and you get your wages.

“The boys are putting a lot of effort in and it's unacceptable how we let sometimes ourselves down and also the fans. And that's why it would be nice to have all our fans back at a full stadium at the Hive to really play for them.

“And to answer your question, the fight the boys showed on Friday is actually something to be proud of. To have four yellow cards and a few things against you, with all that pressure, the boys still fought bloody hard. Towards the end we created that scrum penalty, to create another maul penalty and then to almost put yourself in a position similar to how Benetton beat Glasgow [the Italian club won with a last-minute drop goal].

“Surely that accounts for the fight we show for the city and for the people and for ourselves as a club.”

Taking ownership

In his seven-plus years with Edinburgh, Schoeman has embraced both city and club. He regularly posts pictures of himself and wife Charissa enjoying the capital's sights, some historic, some social. He has also attended Hearts-Hibs games and gone into business with team-mate and friend Duhan van der Merwe to launch a whisky brand.

The bond with the supporters is strong and it gnaws away at Schoeman that Edinburgh haven’t made a better start to the season.

“We know we should have beaten them both [Zebre and Munster] and it's due to our own discipline and our own errors, basically,” he says. “So it's something we can fix within the group and individually. And that's something we look for, taking ownership, around discipline, unforced turnovers and penalties.

“It's something we have to correct, especially against a team like Benetton. We know what they're capable of, how they played against Glasgow, winning in the last minutes. So they're going to be a tough team.

“We have to play for our city, our fans at the Hive. Make them proud and capture some hearts, showing the physicality we've shown against Munster but a lot more discipline.”

Going toe to toe against the biggest teams

Edinburgh have taken three bonus points from their two URC defeats but Schoeman is acutely aware they will need a lot more than that if they are to be among contenders by the end of the campaign. Last season they made the play-offs for the first time in three years and a win on Friday would be timely if they are to again be a top-eight side.

“When we're on it we can go toe to toe against big teams and then sometimes we let teams off the hook, let them back in with a soft moment,” added the Scotland loosehead. “And that's something that we're raising now. It's unacceptable now.

“So take the learnings from the first two away games. Take the points. We're already in a better place than last season in terms of points, so we can really use that.

“But you have to learn quickly and you have to implement and adapt. You can't take half a URC season [to adapt] and then there’s the pressure to finish in the top eight to top four. You have to hit the drum now, you can't miss a beat from now on.”

Schoeman says he feels in good shape thanks to a decent break following his participation in the British and Irish Lions tour. He played five matches for the Lions, including the send-off game against Argentina in Dublin, but was not involved in the three Tests.

He says the tour was a “humbling experience” and an insight into what makes the very best players tick.

“There's no sheep in there, it's all leaders in a pack and it rubs off on you and you learn a lot of things, like ownership.

“Sometimes [you look to] the coaches, the ref, but no one can do it, you have to do it. You can't be a bystander, you have to make it happen and that's something I took back to Edinburgh. We speak about it, in big moments, not just to accept something and then afterwards review but actually do something about it. And that doesn't mean try to be the hero. It means do your job well or put your body on the line for the club, for the fans.”

He isn’t the only loosehead prop to return to Edinburgh after a summer of derring-do. While Schoeman was helping the Lions roar in Australia, Boan Venter was part of the South Africa squad which won the Rugby Championship for the second year in a row, the first Springboks side to do so.

Schoeman has huge respect for his countryman and feels the honour was well earned.

“I just think, massive credit to him. He's good enough and he followed his dream. The opportunity came and credit has to go for the work he's put in since he's joined Edinburgh. You know all the watt bikes, the squats we've done, the conditioning. Also the mental resilience through the injuries, through selection, through all of these things, he stayed strong. So really, really happy for him.”