Baird bidding to make his own mark on Scotland

THE son of a former British & Irish Lion will today hope to turn in a performance for Nottingham against Currie which will impress a Scottish rugby audience.

A big crowd is expected at Malleny Park for the British & Irish Cup clash, and wearing the No 7 jersey for the visitors will be Jonny Baird, whose father Rodger won four Lions caps and was part of Scotland’s 1984 Grand Slam team.

Jonny, 23, is carving out an impressive career in his own right as part of the team that are fourth in the English Championship.

Baird is one of a number of young Scots playing down south at that level who are performing well in a tough environment and he said: “There are a few of us in the Championship and I guess at times you feel you are a bit out of the way from people in Scotland.

“That is why it is great for me to be in the team to play Currie as there will be lots of people I know watching and hopefully some of those in attendance will be impressed by the way my game is coming on and I can help Nottingham win.”

While harbouring hopes to one day play in Scotland for hometown team Edinburgh or Glasgow Warriors, Baird says he is presently focused only on nailing his place down in a competitive Nottingham starting line-up.

“I always keep an eye on how the pro teams are getting on and what is going on in Scotland, but I am fully focused to what is going on at Nottingham,” he said.

“There are a lot of experienced players around me, I am in my second season as a full-time pro now and I just have to keep pushing on.”

So far in the British & Irish Cup Nottingham have beaten Doncaster Rotherham and Pontypridd and will be favourites. However, Currie are on a high after last week’s win at Swansea and it should be an intriguing affair.