MY LIFEIN RUGBY
THE FORMER EDINBURGH, ROTHERHAM, DONCASTER, BEDFORD AND WASPS HOOKER/FLANKER
When I was called up to the Scotland Six Nations squad in 2018 the president of my former club Watsonians, Andrew Ker, pointed out that I’d take his record for being the oldest debutant to pull on the blue jersey if I got capped.
He was 33 and I’d just turned 34 when I got the surprise call from then forwards coach Dan MacFarland as injury cover for Ross Ford. I’d never been on the radar before then. While I didn’t get to play – Scott Lawson was preferred – it was great to be involved with the squad.
In hindsight, I should have transitioned from flanker to hooker earlier in my career. I had a fair bit of success once I did that at Bedford, playing Premiership and PRO12/14 rugby at No.2. I had the opportunity to switch at Rotherham but being young and stubborn at the time, I thought I knew best and backed myself to do well in the back row. But the back row was changing, coaches were looking for size, and height and another line-out option.
I played three seasons at Rotherham after leaving Scotland. I’d captained the Scotland U21s and was offered a contract by Edinburgh. But from a financial point of view, it didn’t make any sense. It was a full-time contract for around £5,000.
My agent looked elsewhere and Andre Bester got in touch. He put together a squad of hardworking players who all had points to prove – I wanted to show I was worth more than what Edinburgh were offering – and we finished second in the old National One.
Three enjoyable years followed at Doncaster and then two at Bedford – the best club I ever played at. The ‘attack, attack, attack’ philosophy that Mikey Rayer brings to the team is brilliant, and we were successful, too, reaching the Championship play-off final, as well as enjoying ourselves socially.
Wasps came knocking and I spent one season with them, fulfilling my ambition to play in the Premiership. My debut was the ‘Double Header’ at Twickenham in front of 65,000 fans. It was both surreal and brilliant.
I felt a bit in awe of the company I was keeping at Wasps but I soon got to realise that the star names were only human and made mistakes like everyone else. I was nine games into the season and starting to feel at home when I injured my knee in training and spent a long time on the sidelines. Carlo Festuccia then came in and I dropped down the pecking order which I totally understood because he was someone with 50-odd caps for Italy. I just got my head down and worked hard and Dai Young told me how impressed he was with me and offered me a two-year contract extension. I had a choice to make – stay there, at a brilliant club that was going places, or take up a deal with Edinburgh and fulfil another of ambition of mine and play for my hometown team. From a family point of view moving back to Scotland made sense, because my wife is from Edinburgh and we’d just started a family, and I ended up playing four seasons and 76 games.
Running out for my final home game with my daughter and nephew, in the 1872 Cup game against Glasgow, was a brilliant way to bow out. When I first moved to England, I wouldn’t have believed I’d finish my career at Edinburgh. They offered me a contract extension, but the numbers didn’t stack up and I tur ned it down. I’ve no regrets and I’m enjoying my new career in commercial building surveying.
The route I went wasn’t the traditional one but there is no right or wrong one to take. If you are driven and motivated, as I was, it’s doable for anyone. – as told to Jon Newcombe
