Ruaraidh Hart (Class of 2022) was considered one of the school’s brightest young rugby talents for a number of years, and since leaving The Academy he has taken his game to another level, firmly cementing his place as one of the country’s top young prospects.
Confirmation of a place in the Glasgow Warriors Academy and selection for Scotland’s Junior World Trophy in Kenya have been undoubted highlights for Hart in 2023, however, it was his selection and performances for Scotland’s U20 Six Nations Squad that really caught the eye. Here, Ruaridh counts down his top 5 moments from a campaign to remember.
5. Try vs France. Despite the end result, the whole experience in France was extraordinary. Playing in a stadium with a crowd of 14,000 people was a nice reminder of how grateful I am to represent my country, especially in these surroundings. The atmosphere was like nothing I’d ever experienced before, with cries of “Allez Les Bleus” echoing around the stadium. Naturally, we would have preferred the game to have gone differently, but I was lucky enough to grab myself a try against a side that would go on to become U20 world champions – even if it was only a two metre pick and go.
4. England Game Selection. The England game is probably the most important one to us, so I was desperate to be selected. Not just because it would be my first official game of U20 rugby, but also the chance to go up against our biggest rivals. It was an honour to run onto the pitch at the Twickenham Stoop and we very nearly beat England away from home, which no doubt would’ve been a major upset. A memorable night all the same.
3. The initial call up. Having spent the previous three months training for the tournament, I was incredibly nervous when it came to selection as there was guarantees of being picked. I had spent an hour and a half driving home from training and wasn’t able to read the selection email until I got there, it was a stressful drive to say the least! When the time came, I was elated to finally open that email and discover my hard work had paid off. The possibility of now going on to represent my country in an international tournament was an incredible feeling.
2. First Start. The game against Wales was a high point for a number of reasons. Going into the game I was incredibly excited as I had been told I was starting for the first time. The added bonus was playing at home at Scotstoun, a stadium I’d been to many times as a spectator. To get the chance to play there in front of a crowd was an amazing experience and the atmosphere as ‘Flower of Scotland’ rang out was really something special.
1. First Win. We had given a good account of ourselves the week before against England, but we hadn’t quite been able to close out the game. Now that we were back playing at home we were desperate to take the points against a strong Wales side. Despite the wind and pouring rain, we dug deep as a team and secured the first win for the U20 side in several years. Having successfully held on right to the very end (18-17), the whole squad was ecstatic when the final whistle went and I don’t think I’ll ever forget that feeling.