I wanted to beat New Zealand at everything, I want to do it for Scotland now
● Aussie-born lock says lifelong trans-tasman rivalry is a boost
wins, but the Wallabies beat them 23-18 in Brisbane last month.
Since Australia emerged as a serious rugby union player in the late 1970s and 1980s there has been a healthy “bring it on” feelingfromthegoldandgreen when faced with that intimidating wall of black. Who can forget David Campese’s insouciant disregard for the sacred haka? The great wing wizard chose instead to go down into the corner of the field and do some catching practice, oblivious to the war dancing unfolding on the halfway line.
Toolis feels he has inherited a bit of that from his Queensland upbringing but is viewing this Saturday’s match mainly through a Scottish lens, with a burning desire to create history.
“I think maybe a few years ago, yeah, but the fact that Australia have struggled to beat them in recent years has taken that away,” he said.
“But the fact that I’ve been living here in Scotland and playing for them now, I have an understanding of how important it is that we want to win the game and make history as well, so that’s brought a new edge to my mindset.
“My heritage is here and obviously I’m Scottish now. That’s what I’m looking to do. I guess at the back of my mind I have that enemy growing up, but now with the mindset living here and being part of the boys and part of the group we know what we want to do and I think that’s taken over what I’m used to, so that’s my mentality at the moment.”
Toolis is set to be named for his sixth cap when head coach Gregor Townsend announces his team this afternoon. With Tim Swinson out of the series due to a hand injury it would be expected that Toolis’s Edinburgh team-mate Grant Gilchrist comes in on the bench.
Another meeting with the land of his birth looms a week on Saturday but Toolis can’t begin to contemplate that with such a massive game on
0 Edinburgh and Scotland lock Ben Toolis during a the immediate horizon. Last Saturday’s 44-38 win over Samoa was his first Scotland appearance at BT Murrayfield since ani ll-fated cameo int he loss to Italy during the 2015 Six Nations whitewash.
After featuring in all three of the summer Tests he was happy to bank a more positive experience at the home of Scottish rugby.
As an extra bonus he enjoyed an audience with Scotland’s most famous fan when he and flanker Hamish Watson met author JK Rowling after the match.
“It was quite cool. I think she usually goes to the games and me and Hamish went and saw her and spoke to her briefly and it was really nice,” said the avid Harry Potter fan. “It was good to see her supporting us and for someone like her to take time out of her day to come and support us is quite special and means a lot to us. “I’m a big fan. Who isn’t? “She just said well done on the win and that she was looking forward to the next few games. She even said to a few of the younger boys well done on their debuts, which was nice.”