Fresh from being named as one of six uncapped players in the Scotland squad, Edinburgh centre Nick De Luca spoke to www.rucked.com
Hello Nick
Hey, sorry I missed your call earlier, I was at training.
No problem, how was training?
It was lovely.
What did you do?
We just split up into backs and forwards. We worked on our own just working out how to stretch Leicester, we want to see what happens when we pick up the pace a bit.
How are things going at Edinburgh?
We’ve definitely had a good run lately, I think we’ve won four of the last five games or maybe five of the last six, I’m not completely sure. There’s a buzz around the squad, we know we can win games in difficult places – even away to Cardiff [11-10 last week]. We’ve got another great challenge in Leicester this week. They’re coming up to us and we owe them one because they nil-ed us when we went down there.
You’ve surprised a few people…
It’s funny, I found a paper in my flat the other day talking about how Edinburgh were destined to be bottom dwellers for the foreseeable future – this weekend though we’re sitting third. We did have a bad start but we’re such a young squad (and I include myself in that) and as time’s gone by we’ve got more experience and got more confident at this level. The experience of senior players like Mike Blair and Ally Hogg and Mike Blair has been invaluable.
This is your second spell at Edinburgh…
I was apprentice at Edinburgh, and then I went to Borders for a year, I signed for two but because of what happened only stayed for one. When it was initially suggested that I move it was a tough one to take in because it was taking me out of my comfort zone and somewhere I didn’t know people. But I went to the Churchill Cup the summer before and met Steve Bates and a lot of the guys so I got to know them a bit beforehand. I thoroughly enjoyed my time and it was very much like Edinburgh was at the beginning of the season – we had a very inexperienced squad that was always going to struggle. The problem was that we didn’t get into a winning habit. For me though, the good thing was Steve Bates gave me a lot of game time which was invaluable.
What was it like being at Borders when they folded?
You obviously hear rumours and stuff but you don’t know what’s really going on. The first couple of weeks after we knew for sure that it was all over were very sombre. Credit to the boys though, they picked themselves up – they were paid to do a job though and they did it. It was a tough situation, especially for those forced to retire who didn’t another contract. I wouldn’t wish that situation upon anyone.
What was your scenario?
My contract was with the SRU and it looked like I was going to go across to Glasgow at one point, but Edinburgh showed a lot of interest. I spoke to the SRU about what would be the best and it seemed that Edinburgh was the place to be. I wanted to come back, although it was obviously going to be tough to get in the side but when Marcus Di Rollo and Rob Dewey it was a kind of blessing and opened the door for me. I was looking forward to competing with them though – I came back to prove I was good enough.
You came back just before Lyn Howells left and the club was run by Carruthers, was it difficult hearing all the rumours going around?
The main issue was that you were hearing from the papers what was supposed to be happening – there was a lot of paper talk. The boys in Edinburgh didn’t hear anything, we were just reassured that there would be a team so in that respect we were okay. Although I had just left the Borders thinking that was that…
So you were worried?
There was slight worry, I had a couple of things on the back burner just in case. But as I said certain people reassured us that things would pan out and they did.
Andy Robinson was a good signing for Edinburgh then?
A very good signing, especially as we’d lost Stephen Larkham and some high profile players. There was a fear we’d become an academy team so to bring in someone like Andy just showed the SRU’s intentions. He’s a great coach.
What’s he like?
He’s a perfectionist and he forces those standards on everybody. It’s great because you find players confessing sins before the session as they’re worried he’s picked up on them already. There’s no hiding place with Andy.
Why do you think Scottish sides haven’t really sparked since professionalism began?
I’ve not been involved for that many years, so I can’t pinpoint the problem. But we’re a young team exceeding expectations so hopefully we can challenge for the title and Glasgow having been going well this season too…
Can you win the league this year?
I would love to say we could challenge for the title this year but it’s a big ask in the first year. The good thing is that we’ve definitely got a winning habit although it only takes one game to lose that! We’re just taking every game by game, last week we were looking to beat Cardiff, this week it’s Leicester.
What was your goal at the beginning of the season?
Just to play 13 and now I’ve held that spot for six weeks or so and I’m starting to enjoy it a lot more and learn more about the position. It’s been a privilege to play against the likes of Andrew Trimble, Regan King, Tom Shanklin and Brian O’Driscoll (twice), they’re all really good 13s so I’m learning every week.
Who was the best?
Regan King is a very good player – he has so much time and so many options. Trimble has such a physical presence and runs some nice lines too.
Which player do you look up to?
I get asked this question a lot but I don’t have any sporting heroes as such. I watch rugby and a lot of players have attributes I’d love to have but I need to concentrate on my own game and get that up to scratch. I maybe get compared at 12 to a hard-running centre like Gordon D’Arcy because he’s wee and nimble like I am…
How high is Scotland on your list of targets?
I don’t want to get ahead of myself, it’s only my second season as a pro. This season I just want to tie down the shirt at Edinburgh and make it mine. If I perform and we’re winning and then Scotland comes along that’s brilliant. But I’m not making it a pressured goal.