Rugby: Royal High's Wood set to follow Scotland path

THE latest graduate from an illustrious Royal High mini rugby section to be earmarked for international honours is gearing up to pull on the dark blue jersey early this year.

After seeing former colleagues Ben Cairns and Alan MacDonald both capped at full Test level in 2009, it could soon be the turn of 24-year-old hooker Gregor Wood to attempt to follow in the footsteps of the Edinburgh pair when the Scottish clubs' team to face France at Galashiels on Friday, 5 February and Ireland on 19 March at a venue still to be confirmed is named.

Wood has already been included in the training squad that will start preparations soon and he is particularly proud of the fact that recognition has come as his club Watsonians battle to preserve their Division One status.

"Since I don't think it is realistic to expect to be entering the professional scene myself, a club international call would represent the icing on the cake so far as my rugby career is concerned," said Wood who admitted to getting the best of starts in the oval ball game.

"While at Royal High mini-section we went from P3 to P7 having lost only a handful of games," he recalled.

Perhaps that was not entirely surprising because in addition to messrs Cairns, MacDonald and Wood the squad also contained subsequent Stewart's Melville winger Jed Gordon and it was coached by 1984 Grand Slam hero and British Lion, Jim Calder, whose son, Duncan, was also in the group.

"Looking back it was always on the cards that Ben and Alan would go the whole way to the top.

"For my part I got a few injuries including a particularly badly dislocated knee and, for a while, I was a bit sickened by that experience.

"But a move to Watsonians at the invitation of a friend, Ian Simpson, really got me going again in rugby and I look forward to trying my best for a clubs' international cap."

A newly-qualified PE teacher currently undergoing a probationary period at Grangemouth HS, the 6ft 2in and 100kgs (15st 10lbs) player enters the new year battling on two rugby fronts because he makes it abundantly clear that salvaging Watsonians' season also has high priority.

They currently lie second bottom, six points behind West with seven games remaining.

Wood says: "There is every reason to believe we can turn things around. The break has seen a few players return from injury and there will be an altogether more settled look to our team when the league comes out of cold storage."

As well as seeking a permanent teaching post, Wood is ready to commit on two fronts.

"There are training sessions with the clubs' international squad planned at various stages in January while Watsonians have kept ticking over with indoor football and gym sessions during the freeze.

"I'm convinced the work that has been put in at 'Sonians will soon be paying dividends."