Cameron Redpath is aiming to solidify his place in the Scotland team after a terrible run of injuries following his Test debut against England in the 2021 Six Nations.
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The 23-year-old produced a memorable performance in his first outing for Scotland as they defeated England at Twickenham to win the Calcutta Cup, but he has been restricted to just three caps since.
Pushing on
Following his maiden appearance, he came off the bench against Wales in the Six Nations last year and earned two more this past November against Fiji and Argentina.
An injury-free run of matches with Bath earned Redpath a recall to Gregor Townsend’s Scotland squad, and he is hoping to take to his chance with both hands and establish himself at international level.
“I definitely want to push on,” he said.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a few years, but I’ve been held back a bit with my body not being ready. Hopefully, I can push on and play as much as I can.
“I think I’ve played 14 games this season, and I think about 12 of them were for 80 minutes. At the start of the season, I didn’t expect to play this much rugby; I set myself the target to get 10 games under my belt.
“Having done that, I’m trying to find a bit of form. I feel pretty good in some aspects of my game, though some aspects have been quiet.
“I definitely feel I’m trying to find my feet a little bit. To find some form at international level would be pretty cool, but that’s something I can work on.”
First try
The playmaker scored a try in Scotland’s win over Argentina during the Autumn Nations Series, and believes that it signalled an upturn in his fortunes.
“It has been a tough couple of years for me, so it meant a lot to me to get that try,” he said.
“I didn’t really do a lot for it – Finn (Russell) just kicked it, and I dived on it. It wasn’t one of the tries I loved, but at the end of the day, a try is a try. I’ll take it. I’m on the same as my dad now, so I’m happy.”
Scotland’s opening Six Nations match is against England at Twickenham, where Redapth debuted, and he is eager to play in front of a pack stadium after making his first appearance at the ground behind closed doors.
Great memory
“I have not had many caps with a full crowd, so it would be pretty cool,” he said.
“But I’ve got to work hard because there have been a lot of centres playing well, and the competition is right up there. It’s one I’d love to play in.”
Recalling his debut at Twickenham, Redpath said: “It was weird with no fans and a first cap. It was strange, but overall it was a great day and a great memory that I will never forget, so it is something I’m very excited to try and do again.
“I’d love to try and beat England with the full crowd this time; I think in the last few years Scotland have had the momentum, and we’ve won two out of the last three, so it’s an exciting time for Scotland, and hopefully we can go and do it again.”
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