Autumn Nations Series | Coffee Date: Luke Crosbie

by Autumn Nations Series

After being named in Scotland’s Rugby World Cup squad, we sat down for a coffee with 26-year-old Edinburgh flanker Luke Crosbie to see what’s on his mind.

What’s your coffee of choice? Flat white or a cortado. Cortado’s like a flat white but with a wee bit less milk.

How did you find out you were in Scotland’s World Cup squad? I was in the house when I got a call from Gregor [Townsend, head coach]. Nothing’s guaranteed in international sport and things change all the time, so to get that call telling me I was in the squad was a great moment for me and my family. Now I’m focused on training and getting ready for that first Test in France.

Who’s been smashing it in training? Apart from myself – I cannae blow my own trumpet – Darcy Graham is always top, especially in the touch game. But when it comes to contact, it’s easier for me to get hold of him!

What TV series are you enjoying? I’ve been watching Vikings. I’m on series five now.

Who are the big gamers in the squad? There are a few. I play with ‘Darce’ quite a lot – we’ll jump on and have a few games after a tough training day and have a catch-up with our mates who play back home. I’d say I’m better than him, though, so I’ll take that as a win.

Where do you call home? Mid Calder, a village in West Lothian. I started playing rugby for Livingston around Primary 5, and was there for a couple of years before I started playing for Currie in Edinburgh. We never had any rugby at school – all that came at Currie – so credit to all the coaching staff and players around there. It’s a class club.

Where’s your ideal holiday destination? A few nights in Ibiza with the lads. I went to Cyprus with my missus recently too, which was great. Just a week of chilling out (quite different to Ibiza!).

Are there any less obvious challenges to being an elite athlete? You get used to being away from home a lot, but that requires a lot of organisation. For example, I’ve got a Leonberger dog at home who weighs 65 kilos, so obviously there aren’t many people who can look after him because of his size. My girlfriend, Annie Nelson, is a Team GB powerlifter, so she understands the commitments and has the same thing going on – competing in places like South Africa and Malta. But so long as we’re organised and keep updating each other’s schedules, it’s fine.

And what’s the best thing about your job? The moment after a win that you get to share with your family pitchside. You put in all the training – pre-season, during the week, all the physical stress that goes with that and knowing your role on the field – but having that shared moment makes every minute of it worthwhile.

Scotland welcome Georgia to the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium this Saturday (KO 17:30). Tickets are available here: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/scottishrugby/EDP/Event/Index/4658?utm_source=G6N&utm_medium=CrosbieArticle&utm_campaign=TFGST23&utm_id=TFGST23