Six months ago he was in the heat of Dubai - now Kyle Steyn’s focus is firmly on a trophy
Kyle Steyn began the season on the Sevens circuit
©World Rugby
There have been good performances by many players across Europe during 2018/19, but the rise of Kyle Steyn has been one of the most exciting to watch.
Back in September Scotland Sevens head coach John Dalziel - who has now moved to Glasgow Warriors and will be forwards coach going forward - was telling anyone who would listen to keep an eye out for his new core squad player Kyle Steyn.
However, even he must have been amazed by the journey that South Africa-born Steyn has taken, playing in the first four World Sevens Series events this term for the Scots to take his cap tally up to six and then joining the Warriors as cover in February.
He began his ‘new’ life at Scotstoun as a winger, but has now moved into the 13 jersey and started and scored a brilliant try in last Friday’s Guinness PRO14 semi-final play-off triumph over Ulster when they blew their opponents away 50-20.
Steyn, 25, is set to be involved in the PRO14 final against Leinster on Saturday in front of over 40,000 fans at Celtic Park in his ‘home’ city and there are strong mutterings that he could still force his way into the reckoning as a ‘bolter’ for Scotland’s World Cup squad.
It all seems a far cry from round one of the sevens circuit in Dubai back in late November and early December.
“If you had told me when I was wiping the sweat out of my eyes in the heat of Dubai that I would be involved for Glasgow Warriors in such big games as these a few months later, I would not have believed you,” Steyn told TRU.
“Rugby changes all of the time and I was just delighted to be a core member of the sevens set-up back then to try and show people what I was all about.
“The chance then came with Glasgow and I have just run with it, worked hard, learned from those around me and loved every second of the last few months.
“Last Friday against Ulster was certainly the best that all the individuals have played in the backline since I have been at the club.
“Sam Johnson threw some unreal balls to Tommy [Seymour], Hoggy [Stuart Hogg] was insane, Pete Horne came on and his vision was just as good and the Horne brothers’ telepathy [to set-up a try] was so good to see.
“Sammy Johnson looks like he’s as experienced as the rest of them and then you’ve got guys like Tommy and Hoggy outside and their experience and confidence has been invaluable. I’ve been able to learn a lot from them and it’s a massive privilege to be able to play with them.
“It’s just a matter of head down, and hard work. Being surrounded by the boys, there is a real calming influence that comes from that. We are quite close as a unit, the whole squad is, and that side of things makes it really easy for anyone to come in and fit in.”
And Steyn cannot wait to savour the atmosphere at Celtic’s football stadium this weekend.
“The 10,000 who go to Scotstoun are already making the same noise you get from 60,000 so it would be an amazing experience to see it filled with as many Glasgow fans as possible,” he said.
“Glasgow is a strong footballing city and we’d love to see it full of rugby supporters. I’ve never been to see a game there. I’ve seen it from outside and a lot of the boys have spoken about games they’ve seen there and the atmosphere it produces. Hopefully we can use that to our advantage.
“The lure of playing at Celtic Park has been massive all season. We said going into the Edinburgh match in our final league game that if we won, we’d have the possibility of remaining in Glasgow for the rest of the season.
“It means we’ve not had to leave our own base, we’ve slept in our own beds. That could give us the edge we need.
“We definitely haven’t peaked too early. There is still a hell of a lot from Friday’s game against Ulster that we can improve on despite the big scoreline.
“It’s about keeping our feet on the ground and making the most of the learnings. Against Leinster, it’s going to be a hell of a clash so we still have one more peak to climb.The trick is that you really can’t think too far ahead of yourself.”
Remember the name Kyle Steyn, it would seem this strong running back has a big future north of the border.
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