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Super6

​Feature: Get to know… Finlay Simpson

​Feature: Get to know… Finlay Simpson

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We catch up with Super6 player Finlay Simpson…

Finlay Simpson has loved life at Watsonians since he joined the club in the summer of 2018, playing a year in the 1st XV and now being part of the FOSROC Super6 squad.

The 24-year-old second-row is an intelligent and mobile player and has done well whenever he has been given his chance to date in 2019/20.

Finlay is from the Borders originally and he started out at Jed minis before continuing playing his rugby at Hawick High School and at Hawick where he reached the senior set-up.

He played a couple of games for The Greens in his final year of school and more during his first year at university when he would travel back from Glasgow for matches.

“I was studying at Strathclyde University and the travelling became a bit too much so I began to play uni rugby and enjoyed it,” he explained.

“We managed to go on quite a run of promotions during my time there, going from social rugby to playing at a decent level where the skill level was pretty high.

“In all, I was at Strathclyde for five years. I studied sports engineering, similar to mechanical engineering but a lot more focused on prosthetics and the body, and I did a masters in that too.

“I graduated in the summer of 2018 and moved to Edinburgh for a job with a start-up firm.

“The job has been interesting as we have been working on a new idea while I joined Watsonians having spoken to then head coach Stevie Lawrie and I have taken a lot from my time at Myreside so far.”

Last season Finlay settled in well straight away and played a number of matches in the Tennent’s Premiership for the 1st XV - and when the Super6 came around he was keen to give it a go.

“My job obviously takes up quite a bit of my time, but I was wanting to play at as high a level as possible and it was good to have a chat with head coach Fergus Pringle and become part of the squad,” Finlay explained.

“In my position there are some very good players like Jamie Hodgson and Brian Leitch and it is always going to be competitive to get in the matchday 23.

“However, I have had a chance a few times this season and relished it, the standard is definitely higher and more physical than before. We are all just focused on the next few weeks and doing as well as we can now.”

Remember the Super6 squad play their next game on Friday night at home to the Southern Knights at 7.30pm, get along and cheer them on

Words by Gary Heatly

Image by Graham Gaw, more here