Sutherland keen to kick on after injury lay- off
EDINBURGH’S 32- 17 defeat away to Bordeaux- Begles in the pool stage of the Challenge Cup back in January will not be recalled as a particular highlight of the season for Richard Cockerill’s men.
But for loose- head prop Rory Sutherland it was a seminal moment in which he finally consigned to the dustbin of history a threeyear period when his career stalled as he fought back from a horrific groin injury – and simultaneously set in motion the chain of events which led to him being widely tipped as a potential Lions starter during next year’s series.
“I realise [ now] that it was a massive opportunity for me to turn my career around,” he recalled. “For a couple of years before that I had struggled with injury and just not performing well enough to be in the team, so to go out there and start and then perform well against a big pack and have Gregor Townsend think that I had a good enough game to go and start in the Six Nations was awesome.”
Sutherland was duly named in the No. 1 jersey for Scotland’s Championship opener against Ireland just three weeks later. He marked the occasion with a barnstorming performance in both the tight and loose.
Against England a week later, he had a tough time in the scrum but hung in there and his carry up the middle of the park just before half- time was the stand- out moment on a day when the awful weather dominated. But the highlight of his campaign was almost certainly against France, when he gave opposite number Mohamed Haouas such a torrid time at set- piece that it was surely a factor in the wild punch the tight- head swung at Jamie Ritchie leading to a straight red- card.
The Hawick man was really motoring, and then came lockdown at the worst possible time – but Sutherland is determined that he won’t allow the six- month lay- off to alter the upward trajectory of a career which had appeared to be over at the height of his injury troubles.
“Obviously, it was a bit gutting for me after getting a head of steam up, but it is the same for everyone,” he said. “I think it is all about how you personally trained and kept yourself conditioned during that time, which I found really tough. You don’t realise how lucky you are to train with people every day until you have to do it all on your own.
“But I managed a good few running sessions, got hold of some gym equipment and an exercise bike, and when I came back, I felt like I was in good condition.”
There is a return to the Stade Chaban- Delmas this coming Saturday lunchtime, where Bordeaux will once again host Edinburgh in the Challenge Cup – this time at the quarter- final stage of the competition.
“We need to park the defeat against Ulster and look towards this weekend,” said the 28- year- old on the match. “This season is not finished by any means so we’re going out there to take the game to them and to win. I look forward to the challenge and hopefully we can make it to the semi- final.”
You don’t realise how lucky you are until you have to do it all on your own