Shifting geaRs
Fly-half Ruaridh Jackson is hoping his summer switch to Harlequins can also keep him on the front foot when it comes to Scotland selection
Ruaridh Jackson says his impressive beard is “borne out of laziness” rather than any desire to keep pace with the latest hipster trends. Elsewhere in his life, though, there is little chance of him taking it easy right now. First, he’s adjusting to life at a new club having swapped Wasps for Harlequins in the summer, then there’s his bid to retain the Scotland No 10 jersey he wore in the two summer Tests in Japan and finally, he’s planning for life post-rugby.
Let’s start with the move to Quins. Jackson had been planning for another year at Wasps and was looking at houses in Coventry, having impressed last season after a serious knee injury limited his involvement in his first campaign, but then came the news that Danny Cipriani was rejoining the club from Sale.
“I was a bit blindsided by Danny signing,” admits the 28-year-old. “I had conversations with Dai (Young) and he was keen to keep me, but there would have been three players (Jackson, Cipriani and Jimmy Gopperth) all seeing themselves as starters, as first choice. So I spoke to Dai about looking elsewhere.
“I had some good chats with Conor O’Shea and Quins is a good fit. The way they play rugby really suits me. Nick Evans is there too, and he’s an absolute legend, so I’ll hopefully get to pick his brain as much as possible. I’m looking forward to that competition.
“I really enjoyed my time at Wasps and I have no regrets. It was a purely selfish decision – I wanted to
be at a place where I’d get as much game time as possible. I’m excited about that new challenge.”
O’Shea has obviously moved on to the Italian job but with John Kingston moving up from the existing coaching set-up, there’s unlikely to be much change to the fast, attacking style that has been a hallmark of Quins since the start of this decade. It’s a style that took them to a first Aviva Premiership title in 2012 after all.
Jackson has spoken to his Scotland team-mate Tim Visser about the club and recognises the desire to put themselves back in the Premiership play-off mix. The fact this is their 150th season is an added incentive.
“Tim’s spoken about how much he loves it and it seems like a good, fun place to work and play. They weren’t happy with how they finished the season, especially after the start they had. They were victims of their own success as they lost so many players during the Six Nations. That shows how good a squad they are and I want to help them push for higher honours.”
This will be Jackson’s third season in the English top flight, having joined Wasps in 2014 after six years at Glasgow. There’s always talk about how the Premiership compares to the Guinness Pro12, so what does Jackson make of the two?
“There are a few differences and a lot of positives to both. What I found last season was how competitive all 12 teams are. There’s not much respite that’s for sure. There are no easy games and certainly with that run-in battle and relegation, it’s tough week in, week out.
“The top six to eight in the Pro12 are really strong, but maybe there are a couple of easier games, a chance to rotate. With no relegation, they play a bit more running rugby too. The Premiership is more intense; it’s more of a territory-based game with big, physical packs.”
Having said that, Jackson joined Wasps because he knew Young favoured an attacking philosophy. The same is true of Quins, hence his decision to move there, while he also namechecks last season’s runners-up Exeter for “playing some really good rugby”. So it’s not all grunt and grind in the Premiership.
He feels his time in England has helped develop his game, forced him to add different tools to his box. “I’ve had to adapt and it’s taken me out of my comfort zone. New systems, new players, new teams – there have been new things every week so it’s been fun and exciting. I’ve
really enjoyed it and I’m pleased to stay in the Premiership. I’m desperate to push on again.”
That desire is two-fold. Not only does he want to impress at his new club and challenge Evans for that Quins No 10 jersey, but he wants to put his case for Scotland selection. Having been shunted between No 15, the bench and even out of the 23 in recent years, Jackson was able to start back-to-back Tests at ten in June for the first time since 2013.
The window of opportunity was opened by Finn Russell’s injury in Glasgow’s Pro12 semi-final defeat by Connacht and while he didn’t quite fly through it – despite two wins in Japan, Scotland retreated slightly from the rugby they’d played in the Six Nations – he did get to show Vern Cotter what he can offer.
“These past few years, with injury, the rise of Finn Russell and competition from Duncan Weir, I’ve been in and out of the squad. So it was nice to get that stint in the ten jersey and I really enjoyed it. Hopefully I can keep the pressure on Finn come the autumn Internationals. If there’s no competition you stagnate, so him coming in has made me raise my game. Healthy competition is good for keeping you on your toes.”
Although it wasn’t that obvious in Japan – where it should be said the squad proved quite a hit, with fans in their hotels searching for autographs and cheering them onto the team bus – Jackson believes Scotland are “building nicely” and have “strength in every position”. Neither could have been said regularly about Scotland over the past two decades. He’s also enjoying the fact players now “have a licence to express ourselves”.
As for Cotter’s contribution since taking the reins in 2014, he pinpoints the unflinching honesty the New Zealander has brought to the Scotland camp. “He’s a strong character and has brought a toughness to the way we play and the way we look at ourselves,” says Jackson. “It’s all very honest. There’s no waiting around or sweeping things under the carpet, if things go wrong on the pitch we speak about it to make sure we improve.
“We don’t want to stand still. Every nation is improving, look at the likes of Japan at the World Cup and Georgia pushing for the top ten. It’s great to see that in rugby but it means there are no easy games.”
It’s also not easy to plan for life after rugby. In fact, it’s driven Jackson to drink – in a way at least. Deciding on a future career is something that’s been occupying his mind and he’s contemplating pursuing one involving alcohol! Chris Cusiter’s announcement earlier this year that he’s moving to America to set up a Scotch whisky business is clearly inspiring his fellow players.
“I’m at the stage in my life when I’m thinking about post-rugby and trying to get things sorted,” says Jackson. “This is going to sound bad but I enjoy alcohol. Wine and whisky are things that really interest me and I’ve done wine-tasting courses. I don’t know exactly what route to go down but I’ve got a few contacts and am setting up a few meetings to see what suits me and what I enjoy most.”
Jackson has recently been toasting his engagement to Kristen Burnet and is no doubt hoping to have a few more occasions to crack open a bottle of wine this coming season to mark his rugby feats.
“I’ve had to adapt. I’m desperate to push on”