Scotland U20s' Nairn Moncrieff: Darcy is someone I have always admired - I love the way he plays
Nairn Moncrieff scored a try for Scotland U20 against Wales
©Scottish Rugby
Darcy Graham was not the only diminutive winger who scored an important Six Nations try for Scotland against Wales last weekend as fellow Borderer Nairn Moncrieff did the same for the Under-20s, and he looks set to have a bright future in the game.
On Saturday, Edinburgh Rugby’s Graham scored his 30th try in his 45th Test for the senior side as they defeated the Welsh 35-29 at Murrayfield.
The previous evening, Edinburgh academy man Moncrieff, 18, bagged his first try in his fourth Under-20s appearance as Scotland got their first win of the campaign at Hive Stadium 27-12.
Indeed, it was the first Scotland Under-20s Six Nations victory of any sort for over two years after 11 competition defeats on the bounce, so it was no surprise that Moncrieff and co celebrated heartily afterwards.
With Wales being hit by a 20-minute red card and then a sending-off in the first half, Scotland knew they had to take advantage.
And they did just that with Moncrieff finishing well out wide and he also offloaded superbly for full-back Jack Brown to score another. The energy that Moncrieff shows on the pitch is similar to that of Graham.
“Darcy Graham is someone I have always admired and I love the way that he plays with his pace, footwork and eye for a gap,” Moncrieff, who has come up through the famous Gala club, told TRU.
“During pre-season after I joined Edinburgh, I was lucky enough to work with Darcy and Duhan van der Merwe quite a lot.
“It was strange at first training with players who I’d been used to watching on TV, but I just got stuck in and wanted to learn from them and the other experienced players around.
“During this ongoing Under-20s campaign, I have really been focusing on getting more game involvements and more touches from the wing and Darcy is someone who is excellent at that.
“Whether that means coming off my wing and looking for ball or just creating different pictures and problems for defenders, I feel like I am learning about the position all of the time.
“In terms of last Friday night, everyone is so excited that we got a win under our belts and we were proud of the way that we performed in front of our own fans.
“Coming off a run of defeats like the three we had had to start the competition was tough, but then to put in a display like we did against Wales shows us and other people what we are capable of.
“When Wales got a 20-minute red card and then a red card during the first half, we knew there was pressure on us to take advantage of that, but we stayed calm and we knew that chances would come if we were patient.
“We knew that the wide channels would be key at that point so we were trying to get the ball out there when we had men up and thankfully myself and Jack Brown were able to finish off chances out there.”
‘Hopefully I can keep the family rugby journey going’
Scottish rugby fans of a certain age will remember Nairn’s father, Mark, being an excellent winger himself for Gala.
Last year, he was awarded a retrospective Scotland cap after the 41-12 win over USA in Connecticut in 1991 was upgraded to a Test match and he has also played a big part in his son’s fledgling rugby career to date.
“My dad coached me through the Minis at Gala and then into my early teens and he has been a big help with my career so far,” Moncrieff, who played for Scotland Under-18s last year and turned out for Emerging Scotland this term, said.
“He played the same position as me and although he admits that the position has changed a lot since his day, he was my rugby hero growing up and I always like talking to him about matches and how things are going. He is really helpful.
“He got his retrospective Scotland cap last year and it was a great day. The whole family headed up to Murrayfield for it and we were really proud.
“Hopefully I can keep the family rugby journey going. I came up all the way through playing with Gala then I played for Scotland Under-18 last year and then this season, I have been a member of the Edinburgh Rugby senior academy and have been playing for Edinburgh A, with Kelso in the Premiership and now with the Under-20s.
“We are a really tight bunch here in the Under-20s and we will keep building on that cohesion this week before we take on France this coming Friday.
“It will be a big challenge. France are a good team and we have done our analysis on them and they offload from everywhere and look to keep the ball alive at all times. They will have a big crowd behind them, but we have to embrace the occasion and try and do our own job.
“It helps that we have good leaders in the group and captain Freddie Douglas on and off the pitch is someone that we all look up to and the great thing about it is he is so humble and just wants the best for the team.”
Bottom of the standings Scotland’s final Under-20 Six Nations game is in the Stade Jean Bouin in Paris on Friday evening against title chasers France.
France are currently three points behind England, with Mark Mapletoft's side heavy favourites to win a first Under-20 Six Nations Grand Slam since 2021.
Victory over Wales in Cardiff on Friday will secure the Grand Slam and back-to-back titles for England after they battled to a 33-24 bonus-point win over Italy last week.
