Meet the ‘Fruit salad’ Scotland forward eligible for four countries

Oyonnax' Scottish lock Ewan Johnson takes the ball into contact during a French Top 14 match against Stade Francais at the Charles-Mathon Stadium in Oyonnax, western France, on February 3, 2024. (Photo by ARNAUD FINISTRE/AFP via Getty Images)

Born in England to Welsh and Scottish parents but raised in France, Ewan Johnson describes his background “as a bit of a fruit salad”. But when it comes to rugby, there is no question as to where his loyalties lie.

“For me it’s always been about Scottish rugby, because my old man is the one who always drove the rugby into us,” explains Johnson. “He’s rugby-mad, he grew up in Bathgate, so it was always going to be Scottish rugby really - I didn’t have a choice, to be honest.”

Paul Johnson, the father and driving force, will therefore be a proud man when his middle son wins his first cap - as he surely will - on Scotland’s summer tour. Ewan Johnson was a left-field selection in Gregor Townsend’s 37-man squad for next month’s four-Test jaunt to North and South America. The lock forward has played all his rugby in France and has just completed his first season in the Top 14 with Oyonnax and although the club were relegated, Johnson acquitted himself well, making 16 appearances, 14 of them as a starter.

Ewan Johnson, centre, with team-mates Robbie Smith, left, and Shaun Gunn before a Scotland U20 match against England in 2018. Both Johnson and Smith are in the full Scotland squad for the 2024 summer tour. (Photo: Ross Parker/SNS)

The 25-year-old is one of six second-row forwards in the tour party, three of whom are uncapped. The other two newbies are Glasgow Warriors pair Gregor Brown and Max Williamson who have come through a more conventional route compared to Johnson whose family moved to Brittany when he was four after his parents, who were both in the police, took early retirement.

Euan, older brother Lewis and younger brother Finlay were all encouraged to take up rugby and Euan’s performances for Breton club Plouzané caught the eye. He joined the Racing 92 academy in Paris where he rubbed shoulders with superstars of the sport.

“It was crazy,” he says. “I’d come from the fifth division under-18s to go into their academy and it was bananas. The facilities are next level. The first week I was there I had lunch beside Dan Carter, kind of by accident. It was the last seat available so I sat there and I had this massive feeling of ‘what am I doing here?’”

But the stellar names were also helpful. Johnson says Irish forward Donnacha Ryan was particularly generous with his time, describing him as “a massive influence”.

“He loves his rugby and his lineouts. I remember speaking to him once after a game and he kept a hold of me for an hour and a half. That was a good place to learn with people who want to pass on what they’ve learned and got out of rugby.”

Johnson was a regular in the Racing 92 Espoirs team which led to a call-up for Scotland Under-20s and he played in the U20 Six Nations and World Championship. He made one appearance for Racing in the Top 14 before returning to Brittany to join Vannes in the second-tier Pro D2.

“If I had stayed I would have just been making up the numbers and wouldn’t have got a lot of game-time as obviously it’s one of the best clubs in the world and they’ve got a lot of big players,” he says of his decision to leave Racing. “I dropped a division and went to Vannes. Personally, that was the best decision I could have made. I played quite a few games there and then this season I’ve been playing in Top 14 [with Oyonnax], playing against massive players like [Antoine] Dupont. There’s no better way to learn than on the field against them.

“I had three seasons at Vannes. We got to two [play-off] semi-finals when I was there. We lost to Biarritz in my first year and then we lost last year to Oyonnax, luckily enough, so when I joined them I was promoted [to the Top 14]. But this season we’ve been relegated and Vannes have been promoted so it’s a bit of a sticky one. But the standard of rugby in France is crazy high so it’s not like it’s a bad division. We’ve just got to make the most of it and hope that we get promoted again.”

The focus for now is Scotland. The tour begins against Canada in Ottawa on July 6 and moves on to Washington DC for a fixture with the United States on July 12. Townsend’s side then head to South America to play Chile on July 20 and Uruguay on July 27. Johnson will have to sit out the final match in Montevideo as it falls outside the international Test window which means Townsend will select a team made up of Scottish-based players only. But the 6ft 8in, 18st 12lb lock is hoping he can fulfil a lifelong ambition before then.

“Hopefully I can get my first cap in the next couple of weeks,” he said. “Every young player has the same goal and that’s to play at the highest level possible. And this is it. It’s been a lifelong dream for me, my dad and my two brothers so hopefully I can get across the line to get that first cap.”

Johnson says everyone at his club has supported his international ambitions and are thrilled with his call-up.

“At the start of the season I spoke to the coaches at Oyonnax and said it was a goal to get Test match rugby, whether this year or next year. I just wanted them to know that it was something I wanted to do. Luckily enough it came this season.”