THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS

Brothers in arms: how family pride lifts the Lamonts
DAVID FERGUSON
IT HAS been almost unfair on Sean Lamont, the manner in which brother Rory's emergence in the Scotland side has cast him into the shadows, but the positive side effect has been a reviving of the elder Lamont's form since his brother joined him in the starting line-up.

Sean Fergus, 26, started the Lamont run first, making his debut against Samoa in 2004, while the first cap for Rory Patrick, 24, came in a try-scoring display against Wales eight months later. That year they occupied the wings against England, Romania, Argentina and Samoa, but while Lamont the elder remained a first-choice and was desperately unlucky to miss out on Lions selection, his younger brother dropped out of the Test picture in 2006 and was only restored to the starting line-up in the recent World Cup warm-ups.

The younger Lamont scored two tries in his first match, against Portugal, and followed up with another brace against Romania. The pair sat out Sunday's clash with New Zealand, but are eagerly anticipating tonight's match with Italy. On the eve of the game, The Scotsman asked them how they viewed watching the other emerge as an international, rivalry and the future.

How proud are you at your brother's rise?

SL: "I have always enjoyed having Rory on the same field at the same time. We were both at Northampton before Glasgow and I really felt for him because he suffered injuries and felt he wasn't going to make it. It was hard, leaving him behind to go to Glasgow, as my career stepped up. I kept telling the coaches at Glasgow that I had a brother who was better than me and was delighted when they got him up; it was great to see him doing well last season. He has shown his mettle in being cut from the Scotland squad for a year and a half and come back a better player."

RL: "I was pleased for Sean when he returned to Scotland and did well. I thought rugby was over for me with the injuries I had at Northampton; and I would not be here now if it wasn't for Sean. When he persuaded them to give me a chance at Glasgow, first with the Hawks, it opened the door for me, and we don't hang around for second chances. He showed the way and it's been great to follow."

How has the switch of headline-grabbing, from Sean to Rory, affected you?

SL: "Well, I'm the has-been now, aren't I? Nah, I'm happy for him. Jason White has started calling him the 'superstar', because he's joining him at Sale and he's delighted with his form. But I'm just delighted he has finally started to cement his place in the team. It hasn't changed our relationship at all. He has always been the more confident of the two of us; the more outspoken. Some people call him arrogant, but he's not; it's just people might not know him. I saw him go through difficult times, so it's great for me that he's got that self-belief that he grew up with back again."

RL: "Has it? I've only played a few games, but I suppose it has helped my confidence. I've always been quite confident, but it's good to get out there and have the chance to show what you can do. I've been reminding him that I've got five tries now, from 12 Tests - he has seven from 33, so I'm catching up. He's done a lot more than me though and will score more tries; it's just good that we're both scoring tries and helping the team."

Do you inspire each other?

SL: "I do look across and feel it's a bit special seeing my little brother on the same field as me playing for our nation, and that does inspire me a bit more. I don't think there is any brotherly intuition really; we're not twins. And I know what he's going to say now - I need to start learning to read his breaks a bit better! But I know what he's capable of, so I should be able to get on his shoulder quicker... hopefully this weekend."

RL: "It's a good feeling to have your brother out there with you, but I would agree we have to work on our intuition a bit more. I've made a few breaks in the games and have been looking around for him and he's not there, so I couldn't say we've got any brotherly thing there! But it's great to play international rugby and there's something extra-special about your brother being there."

What is the rivalry like between you?

SL: "There isn't much of it because when you get to this level, you know what it has taken for you to do it, so you're just so proud that your brother has managed to get there as well. The only thing I notice is that we're spending more time in each other's company because we're both in the squad, and you can start to get on each other's nerves. But, in general, we get on so much better than you might with another teammate; we spend a lot of time staying out after training doing kicks, passing, evasion, and we help each other. It helps that we get on so well."

RL: "We do wind each other up at times; it's only right isn't it? But I suppose because we're part of the same team, we want each other to do well, as you would any teammate, and I feel that when Sean gets the ball he can be one of the best runners in world rugby, so rather than be a rival I want to get him the ball."

Gavin and Scott Hastings set an incredible benchmark for brothers - how far could you go?

SL: "I don't tend to think too far ahead. I am trying to get my game more rounded and get rid of the label that I'm able to run hard but do little else. People talk about second-season syndrome, and it's true that opponents catch up with what you're capable of and so pay more attention to you and put more defenders on you. It's great for guys around me, because there's more space for them, but my challenge is to find ways of combating that to make my mark again."

RL: "I think that has been a huge bonus for me - the way teams look at Sean now. In the Portugal game they were on him like flies when he got the ball, and that gave me space to attack. I would never have scored so many tries if Portugal and Romania hadn't rushed to him."

This article was posted on 29-Sep-2007, 07:19 by Hugh Barrow.