Edinburgh Accies happy to be underdogs against Heriot's

“There’s no doubt that Heriot’s are the Goliath to our David given league pedigree and sheer size,” said O’Riordan. “However, it’s derby day and anything can happen.”

The Raeburn Place men, with Sean Hagerty making his Premiership debut in place of absent skipper Jamie Sole, have performed well in the second half of each of their matches so far – outscoring Watsonians and matching Stirling County. But slow starts mean they remain one of three clubs yet to claim a league point.

Heriot’s have begun the campaign well with a squad boasting a powerful yet mobile pack and a back division bristling with pace. Coach Phil Smith has named an unchanged starting XV and is trusting his men to avoid repeating last week’s second-half dip against Sonians.

“I hope they have learned their lesson. It was doubly frustrating having put in such a strong first half performance,” said Smith. “Accies will bring a different challenge, which is the beauty of the league.”

Bonus-point wins in the opening matches mean Heriot’s share top spot with Melrose who will be in the Capital to face Watsonians.

Sonians coach Steve Lawrie believes his squad learned from last week’s loss against Heriot’s, saying: “The players have been honest in their appraisal of the performance and worked hard this week in training.”

Currie have started with one win and one defeat, in the process conceding exactly the same number of points as they have scored. Coach Ben Cairns names an unchanged back division for the third successive week and lists Edinburgh pro Luke Crosbie in the pack for Hawick’s visit to Malleny Park.

Boroughmuir will be buoyed by their 11-try romp last time out as they travel to face pointless Glasgow Hawks, with coach Peter Wright saying: “There were a lot of pleasing things last week and we seem to be heading in a positive  direction.”