Sportsmail saved me in the Nick of time!
BLAIR READ OUR STORY AND OFFERED AUTERAC AN EDINBURGH LIFELINE
EDINBURGh’S new signing Nick Auterac admits he was on the verge of quitting the game until a Sportsmail article ‘saved his career’ — and led to a move to the capital club.
The former Northampton Saints pro was among nearly 100 players released by their clubs after the english Premiership reduced the salary cap at the end of last season.
Cut adrift, the 29-year-old was thinking of taking up a career in music — he has a studio in his flat in edinburgh where he records house music — or becoming a chef. Fate, however, had other plans...
‘Two or three players (at the club) were out of contract last year and I was interviewed,’ said Auterac. ‘Nik Simon, who did the interview, wanted to find out what it was like to be out of contract as it was quite a difficult time with the salary cap reducing down there.
‘he spoke to me in May asking what my plans were. I was about to be forced to retire as I didn’t think I had any options. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do.
‘Then, as soon as the article came out, Mike Blair must have read online, he phoned me up and said he didn’t realise I was out of contract. We had a chat and he asked if I wanted to come up and join.
‘There were a few clubs in for me after the article came out but edinburgh was the only club I wanted to join. I had a couple of other offers down south but they didn’t really quite have the purpose that coming here had for me. In short, the Mail saved my career. I do sometimes think if that article hadn’t come out would I be here at edinburgh?’
Blair first came across Auterac when he worked with him in the build-up to Scotland’s 2021 summer tour that was cancelled due to Covid. he had been impressed enough from that time alone to offer him a contract.
‘I met Mike in the summer of 2021 on the Scotland tour that didn’t happen and he is the reason I am here today,’ he said as he prepared to face London Scottish at the DAM health Stadium on Friday evening.
‘I really enjoyed working with him. I really liked the way he coached. he seemed a good bloke. Still seems a good bloke.
‘he has been exactly as he was when I did that Scotland stuff with him last year. I’ve been impressed by the way he coaches and all the coaches here. Them wanting to improve as coaches makes us want to improve as players.
‘They have been great to me since I arrived here as I needed to get my body right and strengthen a few areas where there were little niggles, so getting a good pre-season was something I was needing.’
Auterac has a simple plan to get the best out of himself heading into the new season.
‘There are four necessities that I have to have so I can perform to my best,’ he said. ‘A good bed to sleep in, good coffee, a lot of good quality food and a good sauna a day. These are my four things that help me perform.’
Auterac has put in place a long-term life plan after coming so close to retirement. ‘I’ve got a 10-year plan,’ he continued. ‘I want to work in the music industry for 10 years, build up enough of a status to become a celebrity so I can be a celebrity chef for 10 years then retire at 50 and write the occasional cookbook to keep my income coming.
‘I played music for the past 10 years or so. I’ve built a studio. It’s a bit hard in my current flat so I’m actually using the master bedroom as a studio and sleep in the spare bedroom. It’s a bit of a weird use of space but it’s just how it has happened.
‘I make house music and all the sub genres of house —melodic house, Tech house, a bit of disco. At the same time, I’d love to be able to work with artists. I grew up playing instruments. I learnt the piano from about the age of five, then the clarinet and drums and I taught myself guitar as well. I spoke to one of the guys outside edinburgh Castle about the bagpipes.
‘Music was a big part of my life and it was what I wanted to do if rugby didn’t happen. I wanted to do music A-level and music at University but rugby took over. My musical hero is eric Prydz. he is massive in the Tech house world. he’s probably my biggest hero. his live shows are amazing.
‘As for the other part of my life plan I love cooking too and my favourite is making pasta, making the dough, rolling the pasta, even simple things like carbonara or making ravioli, things like that.’