Townsend can’t ignore me if I start to hit form
SAYS SAM HIDALGO-CLYNE
EDINBURGH scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne is desperate to kickstart his Scotland career by finding the kind of form at Edinburgh that makes it impossible for Gregor Townsend to ignore him.
The 24-year-old wants to get back into the fold for the three Test matches in November against Samoa, New Zealand and Australia after having his international comeback cruelly halted by injury back in June.
With only a week to go before he was due to fly out to Singapore, Australia and Fiji as part of Townsend’s 41-man squad, his dreams were shattered following a training ground incident.
He was taking part in a bounce game with some international team-mates against the Scotland Under-20 team on the grass pitches at Heriot-Watt University. Things had been going well until he charged the opposition fly-half.
‘I felt my hamstring go and knew straight away my summer tour was gone,’ said HidalgoClyne, who won the last of his nine caps off the bench against Wales in the 2016 Six Nations.
‘It was tough to take after working my way back into the Scotland set-up but these things happen.
‘At least it was a great chance to work with coach Mike Blair and the other Scotland scrumhalves in training up until I got injured. I took a lot from those few weeks with the squad.
‘I would have loved to have gone on the summer tour as my goal is to get back involved with Scotland. I felt I could do well on the tour and lay down a marker. I was disappointed at having to pull out.’ Scotland head coach Townsend had praised HidalgoClyne for his work-rate and the enthusiasm that he had brought to the squad. He also expressed his disappointment that he had picked up his injury.
With Greig Laidlaw away with the British and Irish Lions, there was every chance that Hidalgo-Clyne would have got game time. Instead, he could only watch from home as Ali Price and Henry Pyrgos played in all three games.
Following his international disappointment, he has returned to Edinburgh like a man on a mission. He started the wins over Cardiff Blues and the Dragons and is only on the bench for the visit of Treviso at Myreside tomorrow to give him a bit of a rest.
Hidalgo-Clyne knows with Price, Pyrgos and Laidlaw currently ahead of him in the pecking order with Scotland — and competition from Sean Kennedy and Nathan Fowles at Edinburgh — it won’t be easy.
‘My first few games I have enjoyed, which is a good sign,’ he said. ‘I always play better when I’m smiling and last season that wasn’t always the case.
‘It is hard when you are in and out of the squad. The more I play this year for Edinburgh, hopefully, the better I will be.
‘All I can do is play as well as I can. I know Gregor and the rest of the Scotland coaches are watching me. If I do really well they can’t not pick me — and that is what it comes down to.’
On the question of the poor crowd at Edinburgh’s first home game against the Dragons, the scrum-half said the players take a share of responsibility. ‘You only have to look west at what Glasgow have done but that took time,’ added HidalgoClyne. ‘Scotstoun was never full to begin with and before that they were at Firhill. They have improved as a brand and that is what we are working towards.
‘Edinburgh have worked hard to get Myreside ready and made a few adjustments there. On the pitch we have done well. It is about winning matches, which will help attract the fans.’
Sam Hidalgo-Clyne was speaking at the launch of Mitsubishi Motors new Kit 4 Clubs scheme, offering rugby clubs and schools access to kit and equipment. For more details visit: www.mitsubishi-cars.co. uk/rugby/scotland/