The win in Australia in 2017 was undoubtedly the highlight of my career – I didn’t anticipate even getting on the Scotland tour because I was playing in the Championship with London Irish at the time. So, to get picked for the tour, picked for the big game on it, to win (24-19), as well as score my only Test points, made it very special.
A penalty early in the game gave me the chance to take a long-range effort at goal. I thought this is either going to be a cracking start or a pretty bad one. Thankfully, it sailed through. Hamish Watson scored in the corner just past the hour and the last ten minutes we hung on for dear life. It was an incredible experience.
That was my second and last victory in a Scotland jersey, as my eighth and final cap came in Suva later on that tour – not a bad place to bow out – even though the result went against us. Fiji is a beautiful place and the people were so welcoming and kind.
The game against Fiji was similar to my international debut against Samoa, four years earlier in a quadrangular tournament in South Africa – very physical. My overriding memory of that game was the damage the Samoans inflicted on us, with multiple injuries as the game unfolded. I was frustrated we didn’t get a better result and at my own performance, because that game tarnished the coaches’ view of me, and I didn’t play again until the following year’s Six Nations.
Although I only had a short time with Scotland under Gregor Townsend, I was very impressed. He is big on detail and very technical – someone who can create and deliver a clever game plan. I learnt a lot from him and it was good to get an insight into how he saw Scottish rugby going forward.
This story is from the May 10, 2020 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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This story is from the May 10, 2020 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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