Gloucester stint made me a better player says Stevie McColl
The 27-year-old full-back scored 11 tries in 30 appearances for the Cherry & Whites despite being in and out of the team and often used out of position on the wing.
With an extended run in the No.15 jersey in the offing, McColl is relishing a return up north. He told The Rugby Paper: “I’m really excited about getting back to Yorkshire and I feel I’ve improved in all aspects.
“Physically I feel a lot better and my rugby knowledge has improved no end playing alongside All Blacks, British & Irish Lions and a host of quality players.
“When I arrived I was told I wouldn’t play for the first four weeks so I could concentrate on getting my body fat measurements down – now I’ve got 50 per cent less fat. I feel quicker and a lot more efficient so instead of making one or two big breaks a game as I did before at Leeds, hopefully I can make several next season.”
McColl’s form for Leeds during his first spell at the club brought him 21 tries from 54 appearances and earned him a place in the Championship Dream XV two years running, at full-back, his preferred position.
“I think Gloucester knew full-back was probably my best position because I didn’t feel as confident on the wing,” he admitted.
“Fortunately, I didn’t get picked off too much but I feel more at home and in control of the game at 15. On the wing I was a little bit of a rabbit caught between the headlights, not knowing at times whether to go looking for the ball or to stay put.”
Not that McColl was in a position to turn his nose up at any opportunity. “It was frustrating to not play consistently. I’d get two or three games and then get dropped once the starting player returned to fitness regardless of how well I’d played.
“Most of my games, especially in my first season, were in Europe. I enjoyed the experience of playing teams from other countries and travelling abroad. It was also great to be part of the squad that won the Challenge Cup, although Billy Meakes’ sending off meant I never got on in the final.”
Gloucester wanted to keep Dunfermline-born McColl for a third term but the English Qualified Player scheme prevented them doing so.
“I played for Scotland Sevens for a couple tournaments on the series when I was 18/19 and that counts against me being English-qualified, even though the rule was put in place afterwards which is a bit annoying,” he explained.
“By that stage Gloucester had signed a few Kiwis and basically there wasn’t room for me anymore.”
McColl will encounter no such problems at Carnegie, who can easily accommodate a ‘foreigner’ given that they had the best record for fielding EQP players in the top two tiers in 2015/16.
Having experienced the top level of rugby, McColl, 27, is hoping that it won’t be long before he is back in the big time – with Carnegie.
“Hopefully we can push for promotion next year,” he added. “I think what we lacked when I was there first time was a lack of Premiership knowledge and experience in the squad.
“With myself, Joey Ford and the Mayhew brothers (Richard and Mike) coming in mixed with the boys who’ve done a great job in getting Yorkshire Carnegie up and running again, I think it will gel together nicely.”
JON NEWCOMBE
