Having returned to Gloucester Rugby this summer Nick Runciman is now determined to work hard and graft for his place in the side.
Scrum-half excited by competition for places
Having returned to Gloucester Rugby this summer, the place where he started his career, Nick Runciman is now determined to work hard and graft for his place in the side.
Scrum-half Runciman left the Cherry-and-Whites in 2004 to move up the road to Worcester before heading onto London Welsh in 2009 where he played a key part in the Exile's push for promotion resulting in the Championship semi-final play-offs last season.
Now having moved back to Gloucester the 25-year-old is excited to be back and relishing the prospect of playing in the top flight of English rugby again.
"I'm just trying to get my head down and get on with the hard work, no one's shirt is safe and there's going to be massive competition for the nine shirt and hopefully I can be a part of that," he told the club website.
High octane
But Runciman recognises that he has a hard task ahead of him given the competition within the Gloucester squad.
"There's healthy competition for the number nine shirt but all I can focus on really is my own game. Dan (Robson) is an U20 international, Dave (Lewis) has a lot of Premiership experience for someone his age and Rory (Lawson) is an established international.
"It'll be tough getting some game time but I'm looking forward to the challenge and showing what I can do. I enjoy just playing the game."
Given Gloucester's high octane game plan the scrum-half is relied upon to recycle quick ball out to the back line, and it is a challenge that Runciman is willing to take on.
"I'm looking forward to trying to get as fit as possible, part of the nine's game involves a lot of running and hard work," he said.
"With the way Gloucester play and the expansive game, Brush (Bryan Redpath) wants that tempo high and for the nines to be on top of the ball so it's important the fitness is there.
"It's a great challenge, we all want to get as fit as we can anyway, so having an extra focus on that can only be a good thing."
Great challenge
The determined scrum-half is also excited at the prospect of learning from Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath, whose glittering domestic and international career as a scrum-half speaks for itself.
"I'm really looking forward to working with Brush, focussing on passing and kicking and trying to gain as much as possible from his knowledge," he said.
"He was at the top of his game as a player and certainly he was always very sharp positionally and it will be great to learn from him in terms of all the skills, like passing and kicking."
