Well for the Bath Rugby man he is in a pretty unique situation.

The 31-year-old, who was born in London, is twice capped by England but is now eligible for Scotland following World Rugby's eligibility rules allowing a capped player to switch allegiance to another country, as long as they are eligible to play for them, following a three-year cooling off period.

McConnochie’s parents are Scottish, as are the majority of his family. He grew up supporting Scotland and it was a dream of his to represent them.

However, England University and England Sevens honours sandwiched an attempt to contact the Scottish Exiles system before his path into the XVs game with Bath and a Rugby World Cup with England, for whom he is still proud to have represented.

To present day, McConnochie is delighted he has the opportunity to showcase his talents on the international stage once again, although he is shocked the Guinness Six Nations call from Scotland Head Coach Gregor Townsend came.

“I couldn’t quite believe it when Gregor called me on Monday night,” he said.

“We’d had a chat a few months ago about my desire to play for Scotland and eligibility wise I said I was 100 per cent keen. When it hit 21:00, I just thought maybe I hadn’t made the squad and then he called me which was pretty cool. It was pretty cool to explain it to my family!”

Giving some background, the wing added: “My brothers and I were born in London but grew up with a very Scottish family. My dad is a very proud Scot, supporting Scotland Rugby all his life and I think he had maybe played or trialled for Scottish schoolboys. We grew up with all his stories of his favourite players in the 80s and 90s so it was always in our thoughts that we were Scotland fans.

“Not being in any Academy or any setup, I had gone to Uni and through that I ended up playing for English universities. I’d messaged the Exiles programme a few times and hadn’t heard back but then when England Sevens came around, I sat with my dad and said ‘if I say yes to this I’m not playing for Scotland’. To be fair to him he said it was the correct decision!

“Having the chance to be in the training squad is incredible; it’s another step in the right direction. The first chat I had with Gregor was a massive confidence boost for myself to be potentially on the international radar because I thought that had ended a while ago. It’s good to be able to go there, make the most of it.”

Bath’s first match following the news is ironically against Scottish outfit Glasgow Warriors.

Franco Smith’s side have a formidable home record and haven’t lost for over a year at Scotstoun. The Blue, Black and White need to break that sequence to enhance their chances of qualification.

McConnochie said: “The Toulon game didn’t go as well as we wanted it to. We felt we played well in parts but we weren’t clinical at the main points and that what let us down.

“We’ve got to win against Glasgow to have the chance of staying in Europe. It’s a hell of a challenge. It’s 15 months since they’ve lost at home. They love playing on that 4G; it’s a fast, fast game. It’s a challenge we’ll embrace.”

MATCH DETAILS - GLASGOW WARRIORS v Bath Rugby

When: Friday 20 January, 20:00
Where: Scotstoun
Competition: EPCR Challenge Cup R4
Coverage: Match Centre, BBC Radio Bristol (updates), Viaplay
Referee: Luc Ramos (FRA)
Assistant Referees: Evan Urruzmendi (FRA) & Christian Cousson (FRA)
TMO: Patrick Dellac (FRA)

glasgow PROFILE

Formed: 1872
Stadium: Scotstoun Stadium
Head Coach: Franco Smith
Captain: Kyle Steyn
Finish last season: Quarter-finals of EPCR Challenge Cup

HONOURS

Pro12 & Pro14: 2014/15
Scottish Inter-District Championship: 1999/2000 Tri-Series
1872 Cup: 2007/08, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2016/17, 2020/21

ONE TO WATCH – SIONE TUIPULOTI

Scotland international Tuipuloti has been rewarded for his fine club form with a new contract this week. Since joining the Warriors, he has become a firm fixture in the midfield for both club and country. The centre has made 74 carries in the URC this season and has made over 250 metres with ball in hand.

TRY REWIND

Two penalty tries helped Bath to victory over Glasgow in 2015!

TICKETS FOR UPCOMING HOME MATCHES

Next three at The Rec:

London Irish (Foundation Day!), Sat 18 Feb, 15:00
Bristol Bears, Fri 24 Feb, 19:45
England U20 v France U20, Fri 10 Mar, 20:00

We look forward to you joining us!

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

Match Preview: Glasgow Warriors (A - ECC R4)

Related News