Scott Forrest is enjoying life as a professional
Glasgow Warriors apprentice Scott Forrest returned to his Cambuslang rugby roots recently when he went back to Coats Park to do a bit of coaching.
The Scotland under-21 cap, who joined the Warriors in the summer, left Cambus two years ago to join Glasgow Hawks, and he was pleased to be back in the thick of the action at his former club.

Scott said to the Rutherglen Reformer: "I was offered the Glasgow contract officially at the start of June, before I went away for the under-21 World Cup, and on holiday for a couple of weeks.

"At the end of July I started training, and it's been pretty full-on with them ever since.

"You always think about what you're letting yourself in for, and it's definitely a lot harder than anyone thinks.

"We're training three times a day - we do weights in the morning for about an hour, then an hour on skill or speed sessions, then we have a couple of hours off, before it's rugby in the afternoon.

"But it's great, it's what I'd always wanted to do."

Although he's a new boy in the squad, Scott's got some familiar faces around him.

"There's a lot of new faces this year, and with a few of the older guys leaving, the squad is pretty young overall, so it's been really easy to fit in, and there's a good atmosphere in the squad.

"There's about half-a-dozen of us in from the under-21 squad, who are either in the squad this year or last season, and some of the guys who'd I'd played with at Hawks.

"But it's been a good experience, and I've fitted in."

Despite not having made his Glasgow Warriors debut yet, Scott is still keeping match sharp.

He explained: "It's usually pretty intense in the build-up to a game, as the training tapers down closer to the games.

"I've not been involved in any of the match squads yet, as I was injured in pre-season, and not really had my chance yet.

"But the set-up is good for the younger guys like myself, who are now training full time, and if we're not picked to play then I get released, and I can go back to playing for Hawks at the weekend.

"It's a good situation as it means I'm still playing, and I can already see the differences in my game,"

Being a professional rugby player has also curtailed his social life.

"I've not really been out that much at all since I started training.

"You're that knackered by the time you get in - as you're starting about eight or 8.30 in the morning, so there's not that many late nights!"

Scott's return to Coats Park last week came as a bit of a surprise to him.

"Myself and a few of the other boys found out we were being sent out to do some coaching with the clubs, but I felt it was pretty good to get back to Coats Park.

"I've picked up a few wee things since I've left, which I tried to pass on.

"I've not seen that many of the games since I left, but I did see a couple last season when I had injured, and there's only one or two weekends when Hawks aren't playing in the cup so I might get a chance to come along and see them then."

Scott added: "Things are going pretty well just now - I'm in the Scotland sevens training squad.

"There's about 25 or 26 people in the squad at the moment, which will get cut down for the first tournament of the year, in Dubai at the start of December.

"It would be a hassle, but I’m sure I could force myself to go!", he joked.

This article was posted on 6-Nov-2005, 23:36 by Hugh Barrow.