Rugby World hotshot

July's edition of Rugby World magazine profiles Scotland Sevens player Roddy Grant.

July's edition of Rugby World magazine profiles Scotland Sevens player Roddy Grant. With his South African accent, Roddy Grant's Scottish heritage is not obvious. Born in Botswana, he moved to Cape Town at ten and his first rugby coach was Nick Mallett's brother, Dave. Delve a little deeper, though, and it's clear Grant was always destined to don the thistle rather than the springbok. Both his parents are Scottish, his dad once playing for British Universities, his grandfather, Bob Burrell, is a former Test referee and his great uncle, George ODod' Burrell, won four Scotland caps at full-back and managed the 1977 Lions. With that pedigree, it's little wonder Grant headed to Scottish shores after finishing his schooling in 2006 and was quickly given an apprenticeship with the Borders and a place in the Scotland U19s squad to play at the World Cup in Dubai. "That was a big point in my career. I'd always dreamt of playing for Scotland," he says. Grant has since represented Scotland U20s and Sevens, but a ruptured ACL that required two operations has seen him play very little rugby this season. That will change over the coming weeks as the openside is spending the summer playing club rugby in Auckland having been awarded the John Macphail Scholarship. "It's been a frustrating season with the injury," says Grant, 21. "But winning this scholarship is a huge honour and a great opportunity. It's like the carrot on the end of the stick after all the rehab." Graham Shiel, Grant's coach at the Scottish National Academy, says: "He's a very quick player and very physical on the ball in contact. That combination of speed and power as a seven is a huge strength. He's still got a long way to go, but the experience in New Zealand will challenge him and develop his skills." VERDICT: Grant should be snapped up by one of the pro teams upon his return.