Ben White's Scotland rise matched by partner Jodie Burrage who follows Wimbledon with US Open breakthrough

The rise and rise of Ben White has been matched, stride by stride, by his partner Jodie Burrage.

As White has been establishing himself as Scotland’s first-choice scrum-half, Burrage has been taking her tennis career to new heights. White was at Wimbledon last month to watch her defeat Caty McNally, earning her a second-round tie on centre court where David Beckham was among the spectators in the royal box. White, meanwhile, is about to embark on his next chapter after agreeing a deal to join the French club Toulon for next season. Before that, there is the small matter of the Rugby World Cup and Scotland will step up their preparations this weekend with a warm-up match against France at Murrayfield. Gregor Townsend has named a strong side, with White stepping back into the No 9 jersey to partner Finn Russell at half-back. The scrum-half is looking forward to getting back on the pitch after a turbulent summer in which his club, London Irish, went bust. White was left in limbo, without a club and without a job until the Toulon offer came in. He sought advice from Gregor Townsend, the Scotland coach having spent a fair chunk of his playing career in France, and decided to take the plunge.

“It will be a change, moving a lot further away from family,” said White. “I live in London at the moment with my partner. She’s away on the road a lot so I don’t get to see her too much. I’ve really really enjoyed my time at London Irish. I think I developed as a player and a person, and had a really good balance with my rugby and my life. But when something like this is thrust upon you, you’ve got to have a step back and think, ‘right, what do I want to do, what challenge is there next? How can I better my career, how can I improve as a player?’ This stood out: go learn a new language, go invest in a new culture and a new way of playing and try to get better as an individual. I’m 25, and I want to go there to improve my career. I don’t have a crystal ball but, fingers crossed, it will help me to do that and help me come back and be a better player for Scotland as well.”

White, who will win his 15th cap on Saturday, announced himself in Test rugby in the 2022 Calcutta Cup when he stepped off the bench as a temporary replacement for Ali Price and scored the opening try in a famous 20-17 victory. He later described the cameo as the best 10 minutes of his life and has since gone from strength to strength, displacing Price in the side to start every Scotland match in this year’s Six Nations. He says having such a supportive girlfriend as Burrage is a huge help and it works both ways for the couple who are thriving in their respective fields. The success means they have to spent a lot of time apart but White says it’s a small price to pay.

Ben White in action against Ireland during this year's Guinness Six Nations. He started for Scotland in all five of their matches in the championship. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

“When we started going out, she was 300-odd in the world and I was basically on the verge of being third or fourth choice at Leicester,” he said. “So to be where we are now is quite different and with her being on the road the whole time, being in the top 100, is a good thing. And me being in Scotland camps is a good thing, and we just support each other and enjoy the ride. It’s amazing. We’re both living the dream, I guess, and sometimes when you’re not with each other, it is what it is, you know. We’ll have plenty of time when we retire. I can’t complain.”

As White prepares for his first World Cup, Burrage will be heading to New York to make her US Open debut, another milestone in the 24-year-old's tennis career after she reached her first WTA final this year. White won’t make it to Flushing Meadows but he was able to watch Burrage at Wimbledon, an experience he describes as “crazy, pretty special”.

“To see her play at Wimbledon and be there for her first win in the main draw was pretty cool, and then to see her on Centre Court was cool as well. I get pretty nervous watching her, I don’t quite enjoy it. I’d rather be playing myself to be honest. I don't think she likes watching me either. Her and my mum are probably the worst! My mum worries about whether I’m going to get up from a ruck. But it’s great to have my family’s and Jodie’s support. My parents love coming up to watch.”

White and Russell have dovetailed nicely in the national side and the scrum-half says the stand-off helps him relax. “He’s so calm. I remember in some of my first matches – he was like: ‘If you’re ever in trouble, just chuck the ball to me, it’s fine, I’ll take the pressure and sort it’. Having a 10 like that outside you who is not afraid to make mistakes or take the ball under pressure is something that makes my job easier. I think fundamentally, the way I see my game is about moving the ball quickly at speed. We want to have tempo in our attack and Finn plays flat to the line, so if I take steps around our ruck then pass him the ball the defence is going to be on him even quicker, which means he has less time. So, for me, it is just about being really crisp, and moving that ball flat and fast to him, and then when teams get tired and don’t think we are running, it is about backing myself to take that opportunity.”

An apt description of his own sporting pathway.