Rugby: Denton in with the big fish . .

It could be said that pound for pound, David Denton is the stand-out performer in Scotland's provisional World Cup rugby squad.

After all, how many in the 40-strong group can claim to have a close relative whose signature embosses Scottish banknotes?

The 21-year-old Zimbabwean-born back row, who has shot to prominence on the back of six successive starts to round off the Magners League campaign, has a grandfather in Richard Cole-Hamilton, CBE who, besides being chief executive of the Clydesdale Bank from 1982-92, is also a past captain of the Royal and Ancient golf club.

But while mum Joy savoured framing a collection of bank notes bearing her dad's moniker David is determined to present her with another "trophy" in the form of a Scotland cap.

Of course, that's always provided her daredevil son survives a planned expedition cage diving with sharks on a holiday to Cape Town next week .?.?. and provided the passport he lost on Edinburgh's trip to Treviso last weekend is replaced before flying out.

For Denton, who was always determined to take advantage of his Scottish eligibility and joined Edinburgh Accies at his own volition two seasons ago, hoping to attract the attention of national academy coaches, it has certainly been an eventful week so far.

"I was sitting in Treviso during the build-up to the game looking for my passport when an e-mail came through to tell me I was in the provisional World Cup squad," he smiles, before quickly adding: "But there's a lot to do in order to finally get on that plane to New Zealand and there will definitely be no slacking from me."

Exactly a quarter of the squad will be axed between the final warm-up fixture, against Italy, on August 20 and boarding the plane one week later.

Denton is resolved to using a three-week holiday to return in the best possible shape to push his claims. "The shark dive is something that seems quite a cool thing to do when I have the chance in Cape Town. You are in a cage and the sharks swim around you. It's pretty intimidating stuff. I've seen it on television and I'm sure I'll be okay."

A strong swimmer who represented South Africa schools at water polo - he was sent to boarding school just outside Port Elizabeth when the political situation in Zimbabwe began to deteriorate - Denton is also laid back about his passport situation.

"I made a trip to Glasgow passport office as soon as Edinburgh returned from Treviso and as to how it was mis-placed I really don't know. Fortunately the team management had copies of our details and I was able to travel back excited about Andy Robinson's call-up but finding it maddeningly frustrating not to be able to break the news to anybody other than my parents and younger brother, Jack, before the official announcement.

"This debut season with Edinburgh has worked out brilliantly. I don't know how anybody couldn't be happy with a season like I've had but my target from here on is to keep producing."

Denton may have clinched his place in the squad with back-to-back man of the match awards for his big hitting and ball carrying when Edinburgh defeated Ospreys and Aironi at Murrayfield on the league run-in but he traces his career-changing break back to last Autumn and a 40-minute shift from the bench when Scotland A defeated the United States at Galashiels.

Until then, Denton hadn't even figured for Edinburgh but his training displays and occasional club outings earned him the opportunity which was to be a springboard.

"Coming off the bench for the A team against the USA was massive. It gave me the exposure that showed the Edinburgh coaches I could keep reproducing. That is what gave me a string of starts later in the season. It also gave me encouragement through showing I was being noticed. Now it is up to me. I have vague memories of watching the 1995 World Cup in South Africa with my dad who played provincially in Zimbabwe."

Denton, only a few months after swimming with sharks, now could find himself in with the biggest fish in world rugby.

"This debut season with Edinburgh has worked out brilliantly. My target from here on is to keep producing"