Sense of relief for former Howe rugby star Peter Horne after World Cup selection

Proud brothers relish the honour of joining the pack to compete in Japan

Brothers have been a feature of almost every Scotland World Cup and the Hornes of Cupar are the 2019 vintage for Japan.

Peter and George Horne, the sons of Garry and Hazel and proud products of the Howe of Fife club in the town, will be in Scotland colours in the next six weeks, along with Jamie Ritchie, who played for the Howe first XV at just 16. Matt Fagerson, another who played as a teenager with the Duffus Park club, only just missed out on selection.

“It’s a proud day for the club, no question,” said Pete, who played in 2015 and scored a memorable try in the infamous quarter-final against Australia.

“Mum and dad are thrilled as you’d expect and I’m sure the whole club is as well.

“I am delighted for George, he was the first person I called after I took the call from Matt (Taylor) to say I was in.

“I know our uncles and aunties are annoyed because we didn’t tell them but you can’t have too many people knowing or word will really get out! It will be great to have George there.”

For Pete, there was no sense of relief, even if many seem to think he was under pressure for his place from newcomer Rory Hutchinson.

“It’s been a good summer, very competitive and all the guys have been playing well,” he said. “I’m just delighted to be involved.

“Hutch played really well against Georgia at the weekend on his first start and I was really chuffed for him – he scored a couple of good tries – but it was about just trusting the coaches and they see me as the man for the job.”

Even when he threw an interception to allow France to score early in the second warm-up game, Pete didn’t panic.

“I was just raging I had thrown a pass that had been picked off,” he said.

“I wasn’t thinking of how and if it would affect my chances of going to the World Cup. I didn’t think of that magnitude.

“These things happen. It was a test of my character and I had to shrug it off.

“When I was a young player I would have made a mistake like that and it would have affected me and my game, but I knew I had to just get on with it. I was pleased at how that France game went, we defended well and I am hoping to get another opportunity before Ireland to stake a claim.”

2015, when Scotland let a great chance slip in the quarter-final – even without marginal refereeing decisions – is one that still rankles, he admits.

“It was so weird, we played the quarters on the Saturday and we were on the train home on the Sunday and you just thought ‘that’s the World Cup gone’.

“We were straight into training for the club and it wasn’t until much later you reflect on it and you realise ‘we should have won that game’. And Argentina had lots of injuries going into the semi-final as well…

“We have to look forward and use that in Japan. We have a group of guys who played then and some of them know they won’t have another World Cup coming round, so they’re desperate to do well.

“The margins are so fine at international level. We must sure we take our chances.

“We are not going there to make up the numbers. We have spoken about making sure we let nothing pass us by, not just being happy to be there.”