The Scotland debut that brought tears and 'indescribable emotion'

Patience pays off for Leicester prop Hurd

Emotions came bubbling to the surface for Will Hurd after the prop made his Scotland debut in the win over Canada – and it was especially poignant for his mum Sharon who travelled to Ottawa for the match.

She’s the link to the Scottish side of his family and has always pressed upon her son the importance of his tartan roots.

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Hurd, 25, was capped nine times by Scotland at under-20 level back in 2019 and has had to be patient to win full international honours. The Leicester Tigers prop looked set for a Six Nations debut this year when he was a surprise inclusion in Gregor Townsend’s squad but an injury on the eve of the championship denied him the chance. It was a gut-wrenching moment but it made him appreciate his appearance against Canada all the more.

Will Hurd is hugged by his mum Sharon after his Scotland debut against Canada on July 6 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images for Scottish Rugby)Will Hurd is hugged by his mum Sharon after his Scotland debut against Canada on July 6 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images for Scottish Rugby)
Will Hurd is hugged by his mum Sharon after his Scotland debut against Canada on July 6 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images for Scottish Rugby)

“It was immense,” he said. “There was a bit of a setback at Six Nations time – I was meant to be in the squad and that sort of got pulled out from under my feet [he suffered a foot injury while playing against Leinster in the Champions Cup on the day before the Scotland squad were due to meet up].

“So it’s been a long time coming – not that I was expecting anything, but as in I got my hopes up January, February time and then it [finally] came around the week before last against Canada.

“It was just immense. And seeing my family afterwards, especially my mum, just in terms of how proud they were – to see them with my Scotland jersey … I get emotional just thinking about it now.”

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Born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, Hurd qualifies for Scotland through his late maternal grandmother, Sylvia Bruce, who was from Stirlingshire.

Will Hurd poses with his family following his Scotland debut in the 73-12 win against Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images for Scottish Rugby)Will Hurd poses with his family following his Scotland debut in the 73-12 win against Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images for Scottish Rugby)
Will Hurd poses with his family following his Scotland debut in the 73-12 win against Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images for Scottish Rugby)

“My mum’s family passed away, unfortunately, when I was young so I never got to meet most of them but mum made sure I kept my Scottish roots close to me,” said Hurd, who also had his dad, sister, girlfriend and her mum supporting him in Ottawa. “She’s immensely proud of her Scottish roots and she’s always embedded it in me to make sure I’m proud to be Scottish.

“My mum is the Scottish connection as her family were from Stirling area. So, she probably couldn’t express her emotions that she wanted to express. She’s always pushed me for the whole Scotland stuff and I’ve always loved that angle so since I’ve been young it’s been a dream of mine to wear the jersey. When that became a reality, just seeing her after the game I got extremely emotional just seeing her eyes and how proud she was of me. That made it all worth it. It’s been a dream since I was younger so that eye-to-eye with her post-match after Canada was indescribable in terms of emotions. It was brilliant.

“She wasn’t expecting to make it to the game but then she felt she couldn’t miss it for the world. So she came out on the Thursday, saw the game on the Saturday then flew home the next day. She messaged me on the week of the game just to say she couldn’t miss it for the world. It was brilliant to have her there.”

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“She was ecstatic. She’s always wanted the best for me. She doesn’t really understand rugby as a whole so I could play terribly and she’d still be ever so proud. Seeing her after the game with a big smile on her face and crying brought me to tears. I couldn’t have asked for anything more really.”

Having made his bow in the 73-12 win over Canada and then sat out the 42-7 victory over the USA, Hurd looks set to feature against Chile in Santiago this weekend. It's the third game of a four-Test trip but likely to be Hurd's last involvement as Townsend will select only Scottish-based players for the final game against Uruguay as it falls outside the recognised international window.

The tour has been a chance for Hurd to catch up with some of his old under-20 team-mates. Ewan Ashman, Ross Thompson, Ewan Johnson and Rory Darge are all contemporaries and Hurd has enjoyed reconnecting with them. He says the five-year gap between playing for Scotland U20 and representing the senior side allowed him to evolve as a player and he now has the opportunity to show his credentials as an international tighthead, a position in which Scotland are short of cover following WP Nel’s retirement.

“I still needed to develop as a tighthead scrummager to make sure I was ready,” said Hurd of his wait for a first cap. “I didn’t necessarily want to be chucked in at international level when I wasn’t ready and waste an opportunity that was given to me.

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“Coming here now I do feel I’m ready to make the step up to international. This tour is a brilliant time to experience it with a mixed bunch of people. There were 10 debutants in the Canada game so coming now is a brilliant time for me to get my foot in the door. There are plenty of opportunities for me to step in and take my role.

“I’d like to play for Scotland as many times as possible. But I don’t want to get complacent just because there aren’t many tightheads and the opportunity is there. For me it’s just doing what I’m doing and the coaches are happy with what they’re seeing. Take it game by game. WP Nel played into his late thirties so if I can come even close to half of how long he played for I’d be doing pretty well.”

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