Uncapped Edinburgh stand-out ready to step up for Scotland after season of self-improvement

Versatile 23-year-old backed for place on summer tour of North and South America

Matt Currie is ready to make the step up to Test rugby, according to his club coach Sean Everitt who believes the Edinburgh centre deserves the call after working hard to improve his game.

The 23-year-old has been a stand-out performer for the capital club this season and has shown his versatility by playing in three different positions.

Gregor Townsend will name his Scotland squad next month for the summer tour of North and South America and Everitt thinks Currie would be a worthy inclusion for the four-match trip.

Edinburgh's Matt Currie has been backed for a Scotland call-up. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

“Matt Currie’s definitely ready to don the Scottish jersey,” said Everitt. “When he gets the opportunity he’s shown unbelievable maturity, and playing out of position as well, wherever he’s played, be it 12, 13 or on the wing, he’s really been good for us and been consistent in his performance.

“I think that’s due to all the hard work he puts into his game. The better prepared you are and the more individual work you do, the better you perform on a Saturday and he’s truly an example of hard work paying off. So it will be great to see him getting an opportunity, if he does, because he deserves it with the season he’s had.”

Currie was part of the Scotland touring party which went to South America two years ago and played in the A international against Chile in Santiago, but he returned home before the Test series against Argentina and has yet to win a full cap. This summer's tour will see Scotland play the United States, Canada, Chile and Uruguay in July.

Ostensibly an outside centre, Currie has been selected at inside centre several times this season and has also filled in on the wing in recent weeks due to injuries to several back-three players. The level of his performance hasn’t wavered and he has started 14 of Edinburgh’s 16 games in the United Rugby Championship.

“He’s been very consistent for us,” added Everitt. “He started off at outside centre, and then we gave him an opportunity to play at 12 and he did really well there. He formed a good combination with Mark Bennett when he was at 12 and it was also a really good combination with James Lang when he was at 13.

“Unfortunately for him, but good for us, is he’s versatile and we are able to use where we’re thin at the moment, and that’s on the wing.”

Meanwhile, Marshall Sykes has signed a new contract with Edinburgh which ties him to the club until 2026.

The second-row forward has played 19 times this season, mainly as a replacement, with all but three of his appearances coming off the bench.

Sykes, 24, won a Scotland cap in the home win over Tonga in October 2021 and is likely to also come into consideration for the summer tour. Born in Woodbridge, Suffolk, Sykes qualifies for Scotland through his Dundee-born grandmother and has made 60 appearances for Edinburgh over the last five seasons.

“The club and city have become a real home for me, and I’m excited to be a part of what’s to come in the next two years,” he said. “There’s a real sense of togetherness here and I take a huge amount of pride every time I get to pull on the Edinburgh jersey.”