Sharks star opens up on why he chose Scotland
SPOTLIGHT: Sharks forward Dylan Richardson has opened up on his decision to represent Scotland on the international stage.
The 22-year-old qualified for Scotland through his Edinburgh-born father and he made his debut off the bench in Scotland’s win over Japan in November.
Richardson, who can play hooker or flank, previously played for SA Schools and the Junior Springboks. He was also chosen to be a part of SA Rugby’s ‘Green v Gold’ trial match in 2020.
According to an interview featured on The South African website, the opportunity to play for Scotland was just too good to refuse.
“My thought process was just to focus on myself and focus on my rugby, and I just knew that everything else would take care of itself as long as I continued to perform,” said Richardson.
“I think that was one of the biggest things for me, so I really didn’t read too much into it, like when I made the Junior Boks [in 2019]. Then Super Rugby was disrupted by Covid [in 2020] before I managed to make the Green and Gold match.
“But it was never really a thing of like, ‘Oh, what am I going to do, am I going to try play for the Boks or Scotland’.
“It was more like, just play and just see what opportunities come. And you know, at the end of the day, as rugby players, we don’t have long careers and it’s important to take the opportunities that come around.
“To go and play for Scotland, and at Murrayfield, was the opportunity of a lifetime and it’s something that I really wanted to do. So, for me it wasn’t really like a big decision, it was more of just focus on myself and wait for the timing, and I’ll know in the moment what’s the right decision.”
Good career path
In October last year, Sharks head coach Sean Everitt said Richardson was on Scotland’s radar for a few years.
“The Scottish Rugby Union has been watching Dylan and his progression for the past four years,” Everitt said at the time.
“They did approach him in 2018 to play in the World Cup for Scotland, so the writing was always on the cards.
“It’s a path that he’s chosen and we wish him all the best. We support him in his quest to play international rugby and we hope that he gets to represent Scotland because him bringing that experience will be a massive benefit to the team. It’s a massive win for us and good career path for Dylan.
“It is also a sad day for South African rugby when you lose a quality player at a young age. We hate losing players to opposition countries.”
Source: The South African
