It’s been a long time since I’ve pulled on my rugby boots – which have been sitting in the closet collecting dust for the better part of a year now. This is partially due to Coronavirus halting all sport across the UK, and partly due to a decision to step away from elite-level sport for mental and physical health reasons.
At risk of sounding a bit like the bloke at the pub who’s had too many pints of lager, and is chewing your ear off about his time playing for West Ham under 13s;
“…it could have been me playing in the Premier league, but the coach had his favourites…”
I did used to be quite a handy rugby player – being noticed at the age of 14/15 and being chosen to represent Scotland at U16 level. This eventually led to a scholarship to Merchiston Castle School and further representative honours playing at U18, U19, U20, and Scottish Student’s representative levels. There is a long list of incredible high-points throughout my journey with sport, but none really come close to claiming the crown of ‘proudest moment’ like this:
Scotland U20s make history with last minute try
This is a short-video that captured the exact moment that we scored the winning try against Australia in the Junior World Cup hosted in Georgia. Celebrations may seem a little over the top – but it was the climax of a year’s worth of planning, preparation, blood, sweat, and a lot of tears. This game secured Scotland’s highest ever finish in the competition. All of the grumbles about spending hundreds of hours on the pitch, gym, and meeting-rooms – suddenly forgotten. It’s not often you get to share such special moments with such a close group of friends, and it is something that will live with me forever.
I won’t attach any images of the following celebrations in the hotel, for obvious reasons…