When did you first play rugby?
At Teddington aged six. My dad was a big rugby fan and I was rugby mad as a child.

What happened next?
I stayed with Teddington for five years then went to Esher. I played all over – flanker, centre, scrum-half and full-back. During one summer I played rugby league, when I was about 15, but then choose union.

What is your Scottish connection?
My mum, Elizabeth, is Scottish and grew up in Glasgow. My dad, Simon, is Welsh and I used to worry about who I’d play for when I was older – my mum used to find me crying about it!

How did Scotland spot you?
When I was 14 or 15 I went to a Scottish Exiles training session at London Scottish. I was picked for Scotland U16 as a fly-half and scrum-half, then went to Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh for sixth form and played for Scotland U18 and then the U20s.

Who have you played for since school?
I signed a development contract with Edinburgh but the season before last I was out for a long time with an ACL injury in my left knee. I came back from that in September 2015 and was playing for Heriot’s, then got a shoulder injury.

Now you are on loan at London Scottish…
I’ve gone full circle, coming back to this part of London. My aims are to play a lot and learn a lot, then I hope to go back to Edinburgh.

How was the U20 World Cup?
It’s so good playing top players. We equaled Scotland’s best finish but it wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be.

What do you do away from rugby?
I’m interested in commercial real estate and am doing a part-time degree in real estate management.

RW Verdict: This West London lad hopes to challenge Scotland’s senior scrum-halves after making ten U20 appearances. He settled on the No 9 jersey in his late teens and needs more club game time to make his mark.

First published in the October 2016 edition of Rugby World magazine.