Crosbie glad to get cap in front of his granny
FOR the best part of 18 months, Scotland’s players had competed at international level in front of empty stands. Debuts had been made, milestones reached, magical moments made – all in front of next to no-one.
It was all the more fitting, then, that, with eight debutants in the matchday squad, Saturday’s match against Tonga should be the first since March 2020 to be played out in front of a crowd. Those eight debutants were all able to celebrate their honour in front of family and friends, and none of the eight was more delighted to be able to do so than Luke Crosbie, who came off the bench in place of Hamish Watson at the start of the second half.
The Edinburgh forward was set to make his Test debut in the summer only for the planned games against Georgia and Romania to be cancelled because of Covid concerns, but nothing was going to stop him from winning his first cap on Saturday.
And nothing was going to prevent his friends and family from turning out to back him either, with pride of place in the Crosbie clan’s contingent at BT Murrayfield going to Maureen, his grandmother from Uddingston.
“My wee granny hadn’t been to a rugby match before, but she was there,” the openside flanker said after Scotland’s 60-14 win. “It was great to see her. [She] loves rugby – she follows me all the time. She’s always cutting out the paper even if there’s a wee mention of my name. She’s got a scrapbook.
“She’s got right into the rugby. Every Edinburgh game, she hangs a wee flag out, so now she’ll probably hang a Scotland flag out. It’s class.She’s a big supporter of me. Just an honest, lovely wee granny and she made the effort to come out and it meant a lot for her.
“I was speaking to my family and when they saw that I was coming on at half time, they were tearing it up. That’s kind of why I do it. I want to create these moments for not just me, but the people who are close to me.
“That’s the most important thing you can do. It’s not just always about you, it’s the people around you who support you from the start.”
Crosbie has been a professional with Edinburgh since 2017, having been signed after impressing in the Premiership with Currie. However, he started his career by turning out for Livingston, his hometown club, and some of his old team-mates were there along with his family to see him achieve the goal he has worked for since he first played the game.
“My dad, uncle, auntie, my grandad, and then all the boys from Livingston came down as well,” he continued. “I’m sure they enjoyed a few beers and watched the game, so it was good to catch up with them as well.”
Asked if playing for Scotland had fulfilled a lifetime ambition, he said: . “Definitely – it’s been what I’ve wanted to do ever since I was a wee kid growing up.
“As soon as I picked up a rugby ball, I wanted to play. Obviously now, it means a lot.
“Reflecting back, during the week I’d been really focused on getting all my training and my roles right to get my performance out there. But now that’s done, it’s sinking in a bit, like how much it means for me and especially my family, and my friends coming through to see me play.
“They know how hard I’ve worked and the journey I’ve been on. So it was a great moment.”
I want to create these moments for not just me, but the people who are close to me