Recent Loretto School leaver Christian Lindsay is making great strides in his rugby career and is currently playing a key part in Scotland’s under-20 Six Nations campaign.
Christian, who finished school last summer and is now 18, has started the first two age-grade Six Nations games in the second-row with the team recording a bonus point 36-10 win in Italy on February 6 followed up by a battling 33-17 defeat to England at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh on February 13.
Now the Scotland young guns are in Cardiff to take on Wales in round three of the competition at Cardiff Arms Park at 7.15pm this evening [Friday] with the game live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Christian burst onto the scene with the under-20s last year during the Six Nations when he earned a couple of caps at that level while still at school aged 17.
He then captained the Scotland under-18s at the Six Nations Festival in Vichy, France, last April before finishing his schooling. Exam time meant that he, Scottish Rugby and the school collaborated and decided it was best for him to miss the under-20 World Championship in Italy last summer.
Since leaving school he has been a part of the Edinburgh Rugby academy set up and he has a bright future ahead of him.
And in the lead up to the Wales under-20 game, he has taken time out to look back at his Loretto journey.
“I loved my time at Loretto on and off the rugby pitch,” he said.
“I’m from Gullane originally and, after starting school locally, I joined Loretto in primary seven and was there right through until I finished school.
“The great thing about Loretto is that you can try a number of sports and I played a bit of hockey and cricket, but rugby was always my main focus along with my studies.
“And all the way through I had [head of rugby] Andrew Binikos guiding me and worked with Andrew Barnett and [director of sport] Jason White as well as others helping me out with my rugby.
“Andrew Binikos is an amazing coach. He really let us enjoy the sport, everyone didn’t have to fit the same mould, he let us all bring our own personality to training and to the team environment. I think that’s what made the team I was a part of successful because we all enjoyed being part of the group and representing the school together within a great environment.
“I got a lot of playing opportunities rugby-wise at Loretto and I have some great rugby memories from those days.”
As mentioned, Christian – who stands at six feet seven tall, is weighing in at around 120kgs these days and can play blindside flanker as well as second-row – is now in the Edinburgh Rugby academy.
That means he has been able to train with – and learn from – senior players like 35-year-old, 85-Scotland capper Grant Gilchrist within that professional environment in recent times.
“Being with Edinburgh for the last few months has been great,” Christian stated.
“You just learn so much every day in training there, especially working with guys that have been doing it for so long like Grant Gilchrist as well as Glen Young and Callum Hunter-Hill.
“Positionally, they are always giving me advice and talking to me about the set piece and about the whole game. Workking with someone like Gilco is invaluable for a young player.
“I was fortunate enough to be picked in the squad went over to Belfast to play Ulster in a pre-season friendly.
“Obviously, I was pretty nervous for it, but the support I had from the lads on that trip really helped me, not only with my role on the pitch, but also with my mindset. I really enjoyed the experience and have just tried to keep building up my confidence since then in training, in Edinburgh A matches with Watsonians in the Arnold Clark Premiership, in the Emerging Scotland game with Tonga and whenever I have had the opportunity.”
Switching back attention to the under-20s, Wales have lost two from two in the age-grade Six Nations before this evening’s game at Cardiff Arms Park, but Christian is certainly not taking the hosts lightly.
“People will look at Wales having had two losses, but they have come against England and France and they have pushed two very good teams hard,” he said.
“They won’t go down without a fight in any game and playing in Wales is obviously going to be a challenge.
“We know that we have to be physical and play rugby on our terms. If we get our stuff right, I think we become a very hard team to play against.
“Set-piece-wise, they’re a mauling team, they like to maul, but so do we. It’s just a case of being confrontational and taking the game to them.”
After the Wales game, the Scotland under-20s will play France at the Hive on March 6 and Ireland away at Virgin Media Park in Cork on March 15 to complete their campaign and the whole Loretto community will be cheering Christian and co on.
Christian Lindsay is pictured – thanks to Scottish Rugby