Scott Lawson's hard work has earned him Glasgow's No.2 jersey and brought him to the brink of a Scotland capWhat the situation has also done is offer opportunities for young players to show just what they can do at a professional level. Glasgow hooker Scott Lawson is a player who had grabbed his opportunity with both hands, so much so that he's now keeping Scotland skipper and Lions tourist Gordon Bulloch on the bench. glasgowwarriors.com met up with Scott in a westend coffee shop to talk about his short but eventful time as a professional at Glasgow, his hopes for the future, and to shed light on why Joe Beardshaw's nickname is 'Rangers'.
So, what has Scott learned during his time as a professional? "Not to do interviews!" laughs Scott - hopefully in jest. "No it's been unbelievable. I've learned that as a club player you don't appreciate what the professional game is really like. From the outside looking in you just don't have a clue about the sheer speed and the physicality. Not just physical speed, but the speed of thought that the professional game requires. It's totally different to club rugby and I think the gap is getting bigger as well."
Scott thinks Mark Bitcon has made a huge difference to the Glasgow squad's fitnessTalk to any Glasgow player, and the name that usually crops up is Mark Bitcon, the fitness coach. This season has seen a huge improvement in the physical development of the players at Glasgow and Scott has no doubts who has been instrumental in that process: "Mark has brought a real professional edge to it in our preparation, organisation and build up to games. He works us really hard but he also knows when we have to rest.
"He really beasted us in the week before the Cardiff game, but then he gave us a couple of days off to recover. I'm sure that's why we beat Cardiff and played so well – we were physically and mentally ready to take them on."
Mental preparation has become a hugely important factor in rugby but Scott makes an interesting point about his time in the amateur game: "When I was at Melrose and Biggar, I was working and rugby took up so much time with training and playing and working. At Melrose I would work from 8am until 5pm and then drive for an hour to train with Melrose. I was involved with the Scotland U21s as well and that was more time. I didn't mind because I was doing something I loved, but even when I wasn't playing rugby I was thinking about playing rugby, and it was tiring. As a professional I find that I can have some down time which is good because you sometimes need a wee break to keep fresh mentally."
Perhaps one of the reasons for Scott's rapid development has been the high level of competition he's faced for the number 2 jersey? With Scotland skipper Gordon Bulloch and Fergus Thomson available, Scott has had to be at his very best to keep them out the Glasgow team.
"Gordon and Fergus are my training partners and it's been great working with them. I used to watch Gordy playing 5 years ago and wanted to aspire to what he has achieved so five years down the line to be training alongside and listening to him is a tremendous experience and has been a big influence on my own development. I like to think I'm pushing Gordy quite hard but I'm also aware that Fergus is pushing me which is great because I've got to keep on producing the goods just to stay where I am."
Much of Glasgow's season has been a series of 'what if's' with their tally of losing bonus points giving an indication of how many games they've come close to winning, and how many have been thrown away. As Scott points out, it's something the team are desperate to change.
Scott knows he faces stiff competition to keep the Glasgow No.2 jersey
"In matches last year we were hanging on in a lot of games and getting some beatings. This season we've only really been done over at Ospreys and Ulster, so we're competing and getting losing bonus points. But all that means is that next season we must progress – we can’t keep talking about 'if's' and 'but's'. We must turn these narrow losses into victories and dominate teams physically and mentally. We saw a glimpse of that against Cardiff, but we want to do that in every game next season."
Scott's form hasn't gone unnoticed beyond Hughenden, with him being brought into Scotland's training squad during the Six Nations. "Training with Scotland was a massive step-up for me. Working with guys like Jason White and Tom Smith was a great learning experience”, says Scott.
"As a young player I used to hear about the benefits experience can bring but I didn't really understand it or think it was that important, but now, having played and trained and gained a bit of experience, I know just how important it is. I also realise that I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn.
"I want to play for Scotland, but I know I have to keep working and learning to have a chance of that happening. Luck might have a lot to do with it, the bounce of the ball and stuff like that, but as they say, the more you practice and harder you work, the more luck you seem to get."
Hughenden crowds have become used to Scott's stirring displays in the loose, at times operating as an extra back, so is there something in his dim and distant past that could explain this aspect of his game? "I was a scrum-half and played there until I was 15 or 16...but then I got fat and slow! I was actually meant to be the back-up scrum-half earlier in the season for the Heineken Cup match at Northampton!"
So, Scott's come a long way in a relatively short period of time, but he wants more from the game and knows what he has to do to have a chance of achieving it. He's quickly become a favourite with the Hughenden crowd, impressed with his wholehearted industry and willingness to take on opponents.
Scott's impressive mobility could be explained by his early years as a scrum-half
"I don't consider myself to be naturally gifted," laughs Scott, "so I know I have to work hard to get what I want from the game. It's an attitude I've always had and probably goes back to living and playing in Biggar. I played for Biggar when I was only 16 but you learn never to get too big for your boots because there is always someone to shoot you down.
"I just want to continue my development and keep learning. I know that as a professional you can't afford to level out, you have to keep working to get better."
Oh, and the Joe Beardshaw thing? We'll let Scott explain. "On Joe's photo postcard it says his nickname is 'Rangers'. People think that's a weird nickname, a football team? But I think the guys that did the cards just couldn't spell it properly – it should maybe be spelt 'wrangers', as in orang-utang."
"What's the connection with an orang-utang?", we asked.
"Well, have you seen the length of Joe's arms?" Scott replied. "They're unbelievable! Ridiculously long limbs!"
Now we know......