Capital kid Ben aims to make it big
EDINBURGH No8 Ben Muncaster may be only 19 years old, but he knows exactly what he wants to achieve in his rugby career. ‘My dream is to play for Scotland, potentially as captain, go to the top,’ he said.
‘Why would I not want to go for the highest accolade I can imagine? One hundred per cent that is my goal in life.’
It’s an ambition befitting one of the brightest stars in a new generation of Scots who are catching the eye as the United Rugby Championship season approaches.
An explosive back-row player in the same mould as England and Lions star Sam Simmonds, there is huge excitement over the teenager from North Berwick, who is part of Edinburgh’s squad for their pre-season friendly against Newcastle Falcons today.
Yet, Muncaster, a stand-out for Scotland Under-20s in the last Six Nations, could just as easily have created a name for himself in cricket. And it’s to the capital side’s relief that he decided to plump for rugby instead.
He excelled in both sports as a boy and it was a toss-up between French rugby star Sebastien Chabal and West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle as to who was his sporting hero.
The prodigious young talent — whose garden in North Berwick backed on to rugby pitches — won a sports scholarship to Loretto School, followed by another which was split between rugby and cricket at the famous Rugby School in Warwickshire.
He played aged eight in the Rugby school team while also playing for Scotland-age cricket teams, a spell which included trials for Middlesex.
‘I played both cricket and rugby and loved them both, and still do,’ said Muncaster. ‘Rugby-wise, I started with North Berwick minis and my dad, Lawson, coached a bit at the club and was really encouraging, like all my family is.
‘I loved watching Chabal in action. He was awesome, a real character who could play in the back row or second row. He really inspired me and I wanted to be like him as a player. I also loved watching the T20 cricket and Chris Gayle hitting the ball all over the place.
‘I was an all-rounder in cricket and got a couple of hundreds at Loretto School before I went south, then at Rugby I got a couple of 50-pluses.’
He attracted much attention for his cricketing skills there, but even more so for his back-row play. Wasps, Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers all made him offers to join their academy setups after watching him play for his school team and that’s when he decided rugby was for him.
‘There were always scouts at our school games and it was a tough decision as they were all great clubs, but Leicester Tigers’ academy was the right one for me to join as I was getting the best educational and rugby training,’ said Muncaster. ‘Leicester was vital for my rugby improvement.’
He captained the academy team and would possibly have played for the first team had the pandemic not hit.
Muncaster greatly impressed the Scotland age-grade coaches, while then Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill — a former Leicester player and head coach — offered him a chance to move north to the capital.
‘It was a tough decision but playing for Scotland is my dream, the thing I’ve always wanted,’ said Muncaster. ‘I felt Edinburgh was the perfect place to try to make my dream come true.
‘There’s a lot of work for me to do to get into the team on a regular basis, let alone Scotland, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.’
He impressed on his debut in a Rainbow Cup victory over Zebre in April, and again in the 34-31 loss to Ulster in June.
Combining his rugby career with an economics degree at HeriotWatt University, Muncaster can’t wait for the season to start so he can compete for a regular place under new head coach Mike Blair. He’ll get a chance to show what he can do when he comes off the bench today.
‘When I was at Rugby School, I was academia driven as I was prioritising getting to university and then focusing on my rugby,’ he said. ‘Going into a pro environment at Edinburgh, I feel a real sense of belonging so I want to give it my best shot.’