YOUNG GUNS

EWAN McQUILLAN LONDON SCOTTISH PROP

Ewan McQuillin knew he would need his passport to get to his next game but little did he know that it would be at Murrayfield against Treviso in the PRO12.

The London Scottish tighthead was all set to take on Jersey last Saturday in the Championship, but he received a call on the Wednesday asking if he could come and help injury-hit Edinburgh ahead of their clash agains the Italians on the Friday.

He packed his bags, flew to the Scottish capital and ended up playing 60 minutes for his old club in the national stadium.

“What a week it was,” he told The Rugby Paper. “There wasn’t much time to prepare as all I did was the captain’s run on the Thursday, but it went ok.

“I tried to learn the calls as well as I could and just went with it. It was a bit different in terms of physicality but it was a great experience. Playing at Murrayfield was brilliant, too.

“Having the deal between London Scottish and the SRU might have helped to put me in the frame but I think playing in the Championship was the key because it’s a great league and you get a lot of experience as a youngster.

“It’s a good step up between the cub scene in Scotland and the PRO12 teams so if you do well in the Championship you might get a call from Glasgow or Edinburgh.

“It might be daunting to leave Scotland at first for a youngster but it’s a great opportunity to come down here and get the exposure you need at senior level.”

Moving to London late in the summer, the 23-year-old had an instant impact, starting the first three games of the season for the Exiles.

He started again against Cardiff in the British & Irish Cup yesterday and is very much enjoying his new life in south west London.

“I was in the Edinburgh academy for the past two years but things didn’t quite work out so I thought the only way for me to get the break I needed was to go down south and have a fresh start in the Championship.

“It’s going great so far. London is a bit bigger than Edinburgh but I’m very much enjoying my time here.

“I’ve learnt a lot already in the Championship even if it takes a bit of time to get used to the physicality in this league as well as the speed of the game.

“As a young tighthead, it’s all about getting a good run of games to make sure your body adapts to the demands of senior rugby.

“You have to be careful with injuries but being thrown in at the deep end is the only way to improve.”