'Love and thunder': Former Scotland rugby star Nick De Luca on his new role at Edinburgh boarding school

Mental health campaigner speaks candidly to The Scotsman on the pressures he faced in his playing days and how they are shaping his approach to education

Most rugby fans have been glued to their TVs as the drama of the World Cup has been unfolding in France over the last few weeks, but the thoughts of former Scotland star Nick De Luca have been elsewhere.

These days, the former Edinburgh, Biarritz and Wasps centre, who played at the 2011 World Cup, is focussed on a very different challenge, as he settles into a new job as director of sport and activities at Merchiston Castle School.

When The Scotsman caught up with him, the 39-year-old was half way through his third week at the Edinburgh boarding school, and in a reflective mood.

The centre from Lockerbie won 43 caps in a career that saw him give service to Edinburgh, Border Reivers, Biarritz and Wasps.

"Not really," he responds candidly when asked if watching the World Cup left him wishing he could lace-up his boots once more.

Mr De Luca has spoken openly in the past about his mental health struggles during his playing days. Now, he directly links those issues to his international career.

"My own troubles, through rugby, were usually in the dark blue of Scotland," says Mr De Luca, who won 43 caps.

"So I'd go from man-of-the-matches to dream teams in the Celtic League, and then not really firing a shot for Scotland.

Nick De Luca

"I mean, that was down to a few initial negative experiences, and the way I was managed, but also a real lack of awareness and understanding of myself and how I ran and how I worked.

"So not understanding what I called ‘my demons’ at the time, those voices in my head, why they were there - I put a lot of stress on myself to try to get rid of them, instead of just understanding, accepting, and then having a strategy going forward."

The lessons he learned during those difficult moments in his playing career are already being put into practice at Merchiston.

"I'm in week three and I've already spoken to five or six kids individually about their own strategies to help quieten, or understand or engage these oppressive, horrible, negative voices that we all have in our heads,” he says.

Mr De Luca joined Merchiston from a similar role at Uppingham School in the East Midlands. Born in Dumfries and raised in Lockerbie, he was eager to return to Scotland.

"I was pining. It was nine years, almost a decade, and I'm very fortunate with my previous career and this career, I've learned a lot and I'd like to give back to the country I grew up in," he says.

Like many elite athletes, he had no clear plan for life after sport when he was playing.

"When I played rugby, I just played rugby. I was so invested in it, and that's something I would advise these days of any sportsman or sportswoman, is to ensure they have more to them than just sport. I think it's really important to have more than one identity,” he says.

"If you're just all sport and it goes well, or it goes badly, it really affects your emotional wellbeing, so it's about understanding who you are and using sport as a canvas to express your identity instead of being your identity.”

After completing an MBA at Edinburgh Business School, he started exploring coaching, and then completed a director of rugby course.

"I was surprised how much I liked it, and looking after young people,” he says.

Unlike at Uppingham, where he did not feel ready to go "all in", at Merchiston he has moved his family into a residence on the school site.

Asked if the pupils treat him differently because of his background, he said: "I think for those that are rugby nuts, then there will probably be a level of respect.

"But you know I've coached netball, tennis, cricket, athletics, hockey and I have the same respect because of how I treat the kids, and I genuinely treat them with love and care.”

He added: "I like Marvel films, so Thor was recently called 'Love and Thunder'. That's how I explain it to the kids. Look, love and thunder – I've got a tough side but it's coming from a place of care.”

Many in the education are naturally cautious when speaking to the media, in fear of negative headlines, but Mr De Luca is different.

He volunteers that boarding schools can be “horrible”, particularly historically, while referring to recent testimonies at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.

"You need to own your past but make sure you learn your lessons so it's not repeated. But actually boarding school for some pupils can be the best time of their lives,” he says.

He has little time for “wellbeing strategies”, which he believes are ineffective in tackling mental health pressures.

And he lays much of the blame on the inaction of recent Governments, in tackling social media companies for example, as well as the breakdown of communities, which he dates back to Margaret Thatcher.

Then there are “existential” factors, such as climate change and the cost-of-living crisis. But, at Merchiston, Mr De Luca is focussing on smaller changes.

"The boys here are obsessed with their protein. They think they need to eat a cow a day to put on any muscle mass, so that is their belief, so every meal they are hunting out their meat. They don't touch their vegetables,” he says.

"Now, what's quite refreshing is that I've been vegetarian for six years and I'm still stronger than them, faster than them, and better than them, so I'm like, 'look, there is another way'.”

He adds: "So we can start shifting beliefs and behaviours on a small scale, and you might not be able to change the world, but you can change the world for those one or two people, which is really important.”