Chris Cusiter points talented Kiwi scrum-half in direction of Scotland

SCOTLAND scrum-half Chris Cusiter has revealed that he spoke to the player whose place he took at Australian club Southern Districts about coming to Scotland.

Cusiter, who finished his three games in Sydney with a surprise Shute Shield victory over Manly on Saturday, is now on a break in Perth before returning home. However, he admitted he was impressed with the scrum-half who will return to the No 9 jersey this weekend.

Grayson Hart, the nephew of John Hart, the former New Zealand head coach, and a former New Zealand under-20 cap, has played Super 14 rugby with Auckland Blues. He left for Australia, however, and started this season on the sidelines after suffering a broken hand and then injuring a quad muscle, which opened the door for Cusiter's brief spell in Sydney.

Cusiter said: "It was opportune I suppose for the club and certainly helped me get some game-time, but he's a very, very talented young player, only 22, 6ft 1in, 95 kgs (about 15 stones) and he qualifies for Scotland.

"He is a New Zealander but is eligible for Australia and Scotland and I spoke to him about whether he'd ever fancy playing in Scotland at some time, though I did suggest that if he did he should leave it a few years until I've retired! But he has committed himself to Australian rugby for the moment and is a part of the Waratahs' plans.

"I've only seen him in training, but he is a big lad and has all the skills to make it as a professional scrum-half. He'll certainly be one to watch out for in the next few years."