Edinburgh Rugby: Luke Crosbie says he is playing better rugby since winning first Scotland cap

Winning his first Scotland cap realised a lifetime’s ambition for Luke Crosbie but the Edinburgh forward doesn’t intend to sit on his laurels.

Luke Crosbie runs out at BT Murrayfield ahead of his Scotland debut against Tonga. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The 24-year-old will continue to put in the hard graft but believes he is already reaping the benefits from his first taste of international rugby, which came in the win over Tonga in the Autumn Nations Series.

“I’ve been playing a bit better since being capped for Scotland,” said Crosbie. “I felt in the last few games I’ve been playing quite well.

“At times you do chase things. I wanted to play for Scotland more than anything and put a lot of pressure on myself to do that. Looking back, I don’t know if that got the best out of me in terms of performance. But now I’ve learned that it’s better just to go out there and enjoy it and that’s worked for me.

“Getting that first cap was good to get the monkey off my back. It was something that was just sitting at the back of my head so I’m glad I’ve managed to do that. And now I want to kick on and keep working hard.”

In truth, Crosbie has never had it easy. With Hamish Watson and Rory Darge also vying for the No 7 Jersey at Edinburgh in recent years it speaks volumes for the Livingston-born openside that he was the club’s player of the season in 2020-21.

Darge has since left for Glasgow where his form has also earned him a Scotland call-up, underlining just how competitive the position has become.

For Crosbie, he will continue to give his all for Edinburgh and hope Gregor Townsend takes note.

“Playing for Scotland is what I want to do but Edinburgh is still first for me,” said the player. “Everyone is always chasing something and when I was a young boy growing up I always wanted to play for Edinburgh.

"In your career you always look ahead and everyone wants to play internationally and I love playing for Scotland. It was one of the best moments of my career, seeing my family there. They knew how hard I had worked to get that moment and that’s what I took from that. I was doing it for them.”

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.