.jpg "Heathcote makes his debut for Scotland")
Scottish fly-half Tom Heathcote who has burst onto professional rugby’s stage has announced he will leave his contract at Bath early and return to Scotland on a one year deal with Edinburgh.
The 22-year-old has decided to travel north in search of more game time and international caps, after enduring a season at Bath as second choice behind George Ford.
It was after much discussion that the move to Edinburgh was decided to be the right fit for Tom, as he looks to improve on his two Scottish caps, with the first won back in 2012 against Tonga.
The opening game of his international career was one to forget for Scottish rugby, though, with a disappointing defeat to the Islanders that brought about the end of Andy Robinson’s reign as Head Coach. The coach who, back in 2012, approached Tom about the opportunity of playing for Scotland in a switch from representing England at age-group level for the U20s.
However, although Tom has been out of action with Bath he has now been recruited into Vern Cotter’s new-look Scotland A team for their summer tour of South Africa and Argentina.
Tom was born in Scotland, as his father was a pilot for the RAF at Kinloss, before the family moved south.
From a young age the fly-half has played at Bath throughout their academy and senior squad after joining at just 15.
Talking Rugby Union’s Editor Austin Halewood spoke to Tom just after the move was confirmed and a few days before he was set to leave on tour with Scotland. Of course, with the season finished, there was only one place to start – his move to Edinburgh.
“It was a very late decision from my part, really,” Tom began, “the offer came through to move up there and, bearing in mind the frustrating season I’ve had at Bath and the opportunity that moving to Edinburgh will give me, I think it was the right thing to do.”
Edinburgh finished last year’s Pro12 in eighth and will be looking to improve on that with Tom at the helm.
“It was a combination of things,” that sealed Tom’s move back to Scotland, he explained. “This year at Bath with George Ford getting the majority of the game time at fly-half I didn’t play as much as I would have liked. From that sense I was getting pretty frustrated – either sat on the bench or not involved with the match day squad.
“So it’s Edinburgh that gives me that opportunity to get more game time and then, hopefully, realise my international ambitions, being back in Scotland, it gives me the chance to try and make that next step and establish myself.
“There was interest from both sides and it just seemed like the right fit in the end.”
However, Tom joined Bath at the age of just 15, where he has played all of his rugby which has led to those two international caps and a fantastic full season in the Aviva Premiership two years ago, and understandably, it will be a very hard place for him to leave.
“Yeah, massively so,” Tom began, “I’ve been there since I was 15 and it’s the only professional club that I’ve played for.
“Growing up not too far away it was the club that I always followed as a youngster, so with all those things it does make it very hard to leave.
“In rugby terms, Bath is really all I’ve ever known, so it was a big decision but one I think that was the right one.
“Playing at the Rec was always really special – there’s not many stadiums that are as picturesque, so it was always a special feeling running out there and one that I am going to miss.”
One of the main factors in the move was the arrival of George Ford to the Rec at the start of the season, after moving south from Leicester Tigers. The young playmaker enjoyed a fantastic run of form in the Premiership this season, with a number of awards and his first full international caps to his name.
However, as a result, Tom – a fantastic prospect for the future in his own right – suffered in his stead, after a brilliant two seasons previously in the Bath 10 shirt.
“Two years previously I had a lot of game time and finished the seasons pretty happy with how things had gone and how much I’d been able to contribute to the team.
“So to not really contribute as much as I would have liked, especially in the Premiership where I only had a couple of starts, I was really disappointed and frustrated.
“The last couple of months of the season were probably the hardest bit and the hardest period of my rugby career so far, having played my last game in early March and not featuring again for the rest of the season. It’s time for a change I think.”
Tom then admitted that George was “probably the standout player of the Premiership this season, playing really well.
“From that side of it I can have no complaints. Gavin Henson was also there, getting that inside backs slot on the bench from a versatility point of view as he could cover more positions in the backs, which I’m not able to do.
“It was frustrating because I couldn’t really have too many complaints. Looking to the future I think I was always going to be behind George and possibly only play when he was away on England duty.
“Obviously, though, that only takes it to a certain level, because at the end of the day that’s when I would want to be away playing for Scotland. So it was only ever a limited goal.”
Rightly so, Tom has now returned into the Scottish squad and is currently preparing for tests against Argentina and South Africa. However, he maintained that although the Scottish coaching staff advised him on searching for more game time, the selection is not a direct result of returning to a Scottish club.
“Their advice was just that I need to be at a club where you are going to play more often. They didn’t force me to go up to Scotland to play, but it just so happened that the opportunity was there.
“It all fell into place with Edinburgh, but, yeah, from their point of view they just wanted to see me playing regularly wherever that may be.”
Tom is looking forward to the fantastic opportunity of playing some of the best international competition in their own backyard. Firstly they take on Argentina in Cordoba on 20 June, before taking on the mighty Springboks – the world’s number two ranked team – in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on 28 June.
“Obviously I was just pretty excited when I first found out that I was going to be going on the tour,” Tom admitted, “but to then be chosen for the tougher half of the tour against some real top level opposition is very exciting.
“No disrespect to the USA or Canada [in the first half of the tour] but playing against the Springboks in South Africa is certainly a bigger challenge and one I’m immensely looking forward to.
“I’m just happy to be back in that environment, having not played for Scotland since last year’s summer tour, and getting the opportunity to show them what I can do.”
