Stand-in wing Kinghorn set for Scotland career lift-off
● Edinburgh full-back has pace and poise for position switch
you need to make sure you are accurate.”
A regular lack of accuracy was Cockerill’s autumn reasoning that Kinghorn had work to do to prove he was an international player, with a habit of throwing in at least one howler every game to take some of the gloss off otherwise eye-catching displays which showcased his raw natural talent. Cockerill gradually amended that view as the season progressed and Kinghorn’s performances continued to impress with increasing maturity and game awareness.
A strapping 6ft 4in, if still a tad coltish in weight, the bigbooted Kinghorn’s youthful sporting all-rounder status is further enhanced by the fact he was briefly in the Hearts football academy. “I was a sweeper/centre-back. Hoof it long,” he said with a smile of an ability he has transferred impressively to the oval ball.
He believes the wider feelgood factor at the capital pro team this term has helped his development.
“I feel my consistency has got better week to week,” he said. “I feel a bit more confident in myself. I feel like it comes with the team playing well.”
Townsend hinted pretournament that wing may be where Kinghorn would be blooded and has been impressed by the progress made in recent months.
“He has matured by making mistakes and realising that it’s not going to get him too far in his rugby career,” said the Scotland coach. “You need to go through that period. The first two months of the year, he was outstanding. Then he did have a few games where he made errors or lost his focus.
“In the last two or three months, he’s been back to even better form. That’s a credit to him and the guys working with him at Edinburgh.
“When he’s been with us, he’s trained really, really well.”