Tim Visser is relishing finding the “extra gear” that finals produce to help him give Edinburgh some silverware before he leaves in tonight’s European Challenge Cup Final.
The prolific wing will play his 50th and final European game for the club as Edinburgh become the first Scottish rugby club to reach a European final against Gloucester at the Twickenham Stoop, which will be his home ground for next season on when he moves to Harlequins.
The obligation he feels to Edinburgh after six years of record-breaking try-scoring is still strong, however.
“I don’t think I’ll be emotional because I still have a couple more in the league, but it will be my last European game for Edinburgh and it’s obvious that I’m eternally grateful for what they’ve done for me,” he said.
‘The belief they had in me when I came here as a youngster, the opportunities they gave me, and getting the chance to play for Scotland, even though that wasn’t my intention when I came here, it’s been amazing.
“Getting to this final isn’t enough for me. I want to win it, leave a legacy and some silverware for the club, that’s really important to me.”
Edinburgh’s battle to the final winning in Bordeaux when the French club were second in the Top 14, beating Lyon despite an in-game injury crisis and then the last gasp victory at London Irish in the quarter-final, shows a resilience in the team, continued Visser.
“I do think there is an extra gear for cup finals,” he added. “Marathon runners don’t train for the whole marathon as it’s said they run the last couple of miles on adrenalin.
“I think our final will be like that, if we get ourselves into a position to win the game with 20 minutes to go then I think the adrenalin will take us through the last couple of minutes. That’s what happened against London Irish.”
It will also prove a huge shot in the arm for Scottish rugby after a beleaguering Six Nations, he agrees.
“Winning would stand alongside the Scottish soccer teams winning European tournaments in the past. For our sport, this is just as big an achievement, and it’s the pinnacle of anyone’s career to reach a European final.”
The oddity is that he will be up against his friend and long-time colleague, Greig Laidlaw.
“It will be good to face him in a funny sense that I know a lot of his mannerisms, so I know what to expect,” he said.
“I expect he’ll send a few high balls my way, but we’ve become a strong team in that area this season.”