Cameron Hutchison, a former Scotland U18 and U19 captain and U20 player, has been acting as emergency cover for the Edinburgh Rugby backline and was the 24th man for the team against Ulster on November 30th.
The George Heriot’s School alumni was a standout player for Heriot’s Rugby Club earning three Player of the Match awards from eight starts during the inaugural season of the semi-professional FOSROC Super6.
Before joining the team on November 14th, as part of the Edinburgh Rugby training bubble, Cameron had to self-isolate for 10 days and provide two negative Covid-19 tests.
As he gains exposure to the routines of the professional environment, for Cameron the amount of the extra training being in the Edinburgh Rugby bubble allows is a luxury.
“When we have double sessions it’s great because it gives me the ability to focus on my individual and position-based skills in the units, and bring that into the team shape before linking in with the forwards in the afternoon team sessions,” he said.
Hutchison continued, saying “All the lads are really well conditioned so it’s forced me to step up my game intensity to try and match theirs. It’s been tough getting back into it again after so long, but in the short time I have been in, I feel like my body is starting to adjust.”
Because we are generally training against the starting team it’s been great for me to try and pick up on some of the things those guys do that puts me under a lot of pressure and do my best to implement it into my game.”
Cameron admits it was a ‘shock to the system’ being thrown into contact sessions with Edinburgh Rugby.
“At Heriot’s we have been pretty restricted to doing drills and conditioning games, the coaches are doing a great job at trying to change it up and keep players learning and motivated,” he said.
“The Edinburgh Rugby guys are bigger and more conditioned so the contacts are generally a lot higher and the ball is much quicker, it just means you have to work to be set a lot earlier and be thinking two or three phases ahead all the time.”
Cameron is thankful for the opportunity to test himself against the contracted players at Edinburgh Rugby after the domestic rugby season was cancelled.
“My goal has always been to push for a contract so it was tough when the season was postponed as I was hoping to carry on and build on some of my form from last season to the Cross Border and straight into the second season and it felt like the opportunity had gone for another year,” he said
“Hopefully, I can continue working hard and bring what I have learned back to Goldenacre when we get round to it.”
