By Gary Heatly
Allan Jacobsen is one of the most recognisable and respected figures in Scottish rugby and Watsonians are delighted that he is part of the club this season.
During his playing days, ‘Chunk’, a loosehead prop, played a record 286 times for Edinburgh Rugby and 65 times for Scotland.
After retiring from playing at the top level, he did turn out for Watsonians in early season wins over Peebles, Selkirk and Biggar in 2013/14, but was then injured.
However, some 13 years later, he is back at Myreside as a specialist scrum coach working alongside men’s first XV head coach Davey Wilson and assistants Mike Ker and Gordon Henderson.
“I am really enjoying being involved with Watsonians again,” Allan, now 48, said.
“When I was moving into senior rugby from the colts at Preston Lodge back in the day, Sesh [Henderson] was the first team captain at PL so I have known him a long time.
“We have kept in touch over the years and recently he was head coach at Selkirk and I was helping out at Hawick so we saw each other at times then.
“When he joined Davey’s coaching team at Watsonians in the summer, Sesh gave me a ring and asked if I’d be keen to come down and help out.
“He is the forwards coach and I help out as a scrum coach. That is mainly working with the front-rowers, but also the pack in general and because we have good numbers at training I am able to head down on a Thursday night and do specific sessions to get things ready for games at the weekends.
“I have been down to as many games as I can and I think things are coming along nicely and there are a great bunch of boys at the club who are all keen as mustard.
“So that, along with getting to work with some good coaches and catch up with director of rugby Marcus Di Rollo who I know well has made it a really enjoyable experience so far.
“I’m looking forward to working with the guys at Watsonians for the rest of the season.”
When not passing on his love and knowledge of scrummaging to the next generation, Allan is busy running Jacobsen Bathrooms.
The company are passionate about transforming bathrooms into stunning, functional spaces that enhance your home. Led by Allan, a fully qualified plumber to advanced level and an Approved Certifier of Construction under the SNIPEF scheme, the Jacobsen Bathrooms team brings a unique blend of discipline, teamwork and dedication to every project that they undertake.
Whether you need a bathroom fitter in Corstorphine, Leith or anywhere else in Edinburgh, they would love to help and more information can be found via jacobsenbathrooms.co.uk or by chatting to Allan when you see him down at the club.
