‘Typhoon conditions? Come on... we’re from Scotland!’

THIS World Cup might not quite be Gordon Reid’s last hurrah as a rugby player but, given that he is stepping out of the full-time game to join the Ayrshire Bulls part-time Super6 franchise next season, it will – in all likelihood – be his last taste of the big time. And it is clear that the 32-year-old is at peace with the trajectory his career is now on and is determined to enjoy his time in Japan, with his form clearly benefiting as a consequence. He has produced some of his best performances in a Scotland jersey during the build-up to the tournament and when he came off the bench early for the concussed Allan Dell after only 11 minutes of last week’s win against Samoa. “I’ve loved it,” said the loosehead prop, when asked about his World Cup experience so far at yesterday’s team announcement ahead of their vital Pool A clash against Russia in Shizuoka tomorrow. “I just said I wanted to go and have fun in training, spend time with the boys, have a laugh and enjoy my rugby. And that’s what I’ve done. “Last year with London Irish, I was going through a bad time. I missed my family [who had moved back home to Ayr] and it just wasn’t good for me. “I’ve kinda overcome that now and training with the boys has been fun and has given me a new lease of life. I want it to continue.” Reid has always been one of the game’s more colourful characters. He didn’t become a professional player until he was 23, before which he had a varied working life that included spells as a French polisher, a nightclub bouncer and a garden centre assistant, meaning he has a hinterland outside the game many of his contemporaries can’t draw on. However, he also likes to play up his small-town personality traits to comedic effect. “The food is a challenge but it is great trying different things,” he says. “Gregor [Townsend] laughs every time we get to a new restaurant. I tried tapas – I have never tried tapas in my life – that was when we were back in Scotland! “Over here I have tried sushi. It is not really agreeing with me, to be honest, but I am trying it. “You go into supermarkets and see cooked chickens and other stuff. I saw these… they can only be described as like meatballs… but one of them was purple and one was green. “I tried it and I’m not going to lie… it was actually quite good. But I don’t have a clue what it was, so if any of the Japanese journalists here want to help out?” Reid’s personality has been transmitted to the wider public via some entertaining video clips he has captured on his phone and posted on social media, including an impromptu inspection of tour captain Stuart McInally’s room, teaching the Japanese team liaison officer some ripe Scottish vernacular and interviewing locals using his phone’s translator app (inset). “I want to have fun, as you can see in some of the videos I put out,” he says. “Gregor has given me trouble for a few of them. But you don’t get to do this every day, so I’m grabbing it with both hands.” Asked about the possibility that a typhoon could envelop Japan at the weekend when Scotland are due to play the host nation, he shrugs his shoulders as if to say: ‘so what?’ “Come on, we’re from Scotland!” he proclaims. “We’ve had worse weather – rain, hail, everything in one day. It doesn’t matter. It’s fine. We have coped well with a lot more. We are from Glasgow, from Ayrshire. “I’m not as posh as some from Edinburgh, but we are from Scotland. Whatever it is, rain or shine, snow, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to go out there and play and give 100 per cent.” Which – rather conveniently – brings him back to the game, and his preparation for his first start of this tournament against Russia. “Gregor has given me an opportunity to come over here and I just want to grab the chance with both hands and go out there and prove myself,” says Reid. “Delly [Dell] has been great, he is growing arms and legs in the scrum – he’s definitely number one choice – so I have to go out there and prove what I am about. “We’re really excited about the challenge ahead. Russia are a great team. They offer a lot in the forwards and at line-out, so I have been doing a lot more analysis this time around than any other game. “Their tight-head is a big strong boy and, given an opportunity, he can cause a bit of damage so I need to try to do my best to counter that. “We are expecting a massive battle. You can see their passion for the game in the way they tackle and the way they carry themselves about the pitch. “The thing is, we are proud too. We are proud to be here – so we want to relish that battle. “Whether it’s the younger boys or older boys in the team, we just want to come together and show that we are passionate about Scotland.”