Job with a future full of promise

''There will be teams from Sweden, Italy, and Spain competing so we will find out how we are doing in those terms,'' says Pollock. ''It's a full-time job and East Lothian takes a very positive attitude to sport. There are six development officers for six different sports, the others being badminton, swimming, hockey, football, and volleyball.'' It sounds, too, as though I'd have liked to have gone to a school in East Lothian.

Eddie Pollock started playing rugby only in 1977 at Jordanhill PE College as he had not played any at school. He played in the back division at college, in the back row for Stirling County as they marched from Division 6 to 3, then moved to prop when Mick Ridley retired. Eddie's career saw him take the field for Stirling more than 350 times and he captained the Bridgehaugh outfit in seasons 83 to 85.

He played right up until 1991, which was the club's first season in the first division, but was forced to retire with that scourge of a prop's life, a neck injury similar to that suffered by Kevin McKenzie. The second XV came under his coaching wing for two seasons, then the first XV forwards after Richie Dixon left as coach, and now he coaches Grangemouth.

However, stop a minute. What about an old head telling us about these neck injuries? ''I remember the time I first did mine, it was a collapsed scrum, and I couldn't move properly after it, but I tried to run it off and played on,'' says Pollock. ''I trained and then played the next week. Now I have one tricep in my arm that isn't properly developed. I think much of the pressure comes from the hit at each scrum.'' Which gives us all cause for thinking.

Not only, then, does Eddie coach youngsters, but he looks after adults at the Grangemouth club, too, and the hunt is on for a backs coach to complement Pollock next season, although he has the person he wants in his sights. ''Ideally, I am looking for someone like Dougie Wyllie - in fact, I am looking for Dougie Wyllie in person,'' he says with a laugh.

''We need a player coach to help with the backs who has played at a high level and who will demand respect. The person would be able to bring on the youngster and organise things on and off the pitch. At the moment we panic too easily and we lose shape and we need the experience, so if anyone out there thinks they could do the job, then they should contact me as soon as possible.''

Grangemouth, it would appear, are a good bit ahead of the game when it comes to promoting rugby in their own specific area. Pinnacle, the Vodaphone people, have shown three-year support of an excellent floodlit schools league in the vicinity, an event which Rob Wainwright has backed since its inception. Kvaerner have ploughed in #25,000 over five years, and there are some keen to expand on Pinnacle's tournament by taking competitions into junior rugby and starting kids much younger.

''Starting a junior league is important,'' says Pollock. ''Although this isn't my region in the sense of developing youngsters, I want to see them leave school and then play rugby at a club. The junior section of our club has trebled in size and we need to build on that.''

However, back in his day job, Pollock continues to get the boys and girls of East Lothian that little healthier. ''In this region, because of the way things have been set up, I get to see the best kids on a Friday afternoon, which is crucial.'' he says.

''And you must not forget that, because of the rotation of the development officers for different sports and the way they go round the schools, every kid in East Lothian gets the chance to play rugby. Every child gets to play rugby.'' Now that, say I, is magic.

A junior league is important. I want to see youngsters leave school and play rugby at a club

EDDIE POLLOCK