Nick’s eyeing the gran prize
SIX NATIONS DUBLIN COUNTDOWN Family pride for Scots new boy
NICK HAINING WANTS TO WIN A CAP FOR HIS GRAN
SCOTLAND new boy Nick Haining will toast his gran if makes his international debut in Ireland on Saturday. The Edinburgh No.8’s first call-up for the Six Nations opener comes after a meteoric rise to prominence at Murrayfield. It’s a dream come true for Australiaborn 26-year-old Haining who said: “My gran’s from Dundee originally. I had a chat to her last week and she was over the moon. “I’ll give her a call this week to let her know how camp’s gone. “It would be a massive honour to play against Ireland. The national side is steeped in history and it would make her happy as well as the rest of my family. “She’s 80 and she came
BY GORDON PARKS over to Australia with my grandad as a £10 Pom back in the day but she’s still got a very thick accent. She hasn’t lost that.
“She’s in a retirement village in Perth, Australia. The game might be a bit late for her but I’m sure she’ll go round to my place and somebody will show her the replay.”
Since moving to Britain in 2014 and after three years at Championship side Jersey Reds and two at Bristol Bears in the Premiership, Haining made the switch to Edinburgh.
As a debut in Dublin beckons, the athletic forward is still coming to terms with being part of Gregor Townsend’s prematch plans at their training base in Spain.
He said: “It’s unbelievable. There was always an element of aspiring to be in the Scotland squad.
“Being in Edinburgh, and starting a few games you think, ‘I can try hard to do everything right, tick the boxes and I’ll get to playing internationally’.
“But at the time you’re so focused on Edinburgh you don’t really think of it that much.
“You just want to get yourperformancesouton the pitch then hopefully the work will take care of itself which it has.”
Haining believes having a host of clubmates at his side has made it a seamless transition into the squad.
He said: “It’s been easy to settle in given there are 16 Edinburgh players here. But the Glasgow boys and the Exiles have been just as welcoming and it’s been good getting to know them.”
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