Fans make the difference for Edinburgh wing wizard Darcy

HAVING the crowds back this season has revitalised Edinburgh and Scotland winger Darcy Graham, who admits he desperately missed playing in front of fans during the pandemic.

The 24-year-old scored two tries in the first competitive match at the new DAM Health stadium as Edinburgh christened their new ground with a 26-22 victory over Scarlets on the opening weekend of the United Rugby Championship.

Mike Blair’s men narrowly lost out 28-27 away to Benetton last week but Graham (right) is confident home advantage can again pay dividends when Stormers come calling tomorrow — with a raucous crowd spurring them on.

‘I really struggled without them (the fans),’ said Graham. ‘I always thought I never noticed the crowds but when they were not there, I did not like it at all. I hated it. It didn’t feel right playing rugby in front of nobody, so having them back has given me so much energy. I absolutely love it.

‘Now I am really buzzing for Saturday as I can’t wait to get back to our home ground and to have the fans back there again.

‘When we played the first game against the Scarlets, the place was absolutely bouncing. They helped us to that win and no doubt if we had them over in Treviso, too, we would have got our win.

‘If we keep getting results like we did at home against Scarlets, it will be a real hard place for teams to come and we can build on that atmosphere.’

Graham also believes having the stands close to the pitch — compared to how it was at Murrayfield — is also a massive boost to his team.

‘It is a hugely different atmosphere compared to playing our club games at BT Murrayfield,’ said the Scotland winger. ‘The fans are so close to the pitch you can really hear them, but you never really heard them in Murrayfield, which was understandable as they were so far away. ‘You definitely do hear them now so much during the match and you get that vibe and energy off them. If something good happens, like a penalty or a turnover, they go crazy. That fills me with energy and then I get excited and pass that excitement on to the boys inside me on the pitch.’ Graham missed a lot of last season through injury and was also given compassionate leave when his brother was recovering from a bad car crash. Now, however, he is desperate to have a good start to the season to ensure he gets picked for Scotland in the four-match Autumn Test series.

‘We have three games left before the Scotland games come around and nothing is guaranteed,’ he said. ‘I have to go out there and prove what I can do for Edinburgh and hopefully I get selected.’