Hamish Watson (rugby union)

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Hamish Watson
Watson representing Scotland during the Summer Internationals
Full nameHamish Fergus Wallace Watson
Date of birth (1991-10-15) 15 October 1991 (age 32)
Place of birthManchester, England
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight102 kg (225 lb; 16 st 1 lb)
SchoolOakham School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
Current team Edinburgh
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011– Edinburgh 140 (85)
Correct as of 26 April 2023
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011 Scotland U20 10 (0)
2015– Scotland 59 (40)
2021 British & Irish Lions 1 (0)
Correct as of 30 September 2023
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2011–2012 Scotland 4
Correct as of 18 March 2023

Hamish Fergus Wallace Watson (born 15 October 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for United Rugby Championship club Edinburgh. Born in England, he represents Scotland at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.[1]

Early life[edit]

During his early schooling days at Terra Nova school he won the English schools boys national U13 trophy. He then moved to Oakham School and played for Leicester Tigers Academy until the age of 18.

Club career[edit]

At the start of his English professional career he moved to Oakham in Rutland and was at the Leicester Tigers Academy. On moving to Scotland he then played for Edinburgh Rugby.

International career[edit]

Although he was born and raised in England, Watson was eligible to represent Scotland due to his grandfather, who was born in Glasgow, in addition to having lived in Scotland since 2011.[citation needed]

He progressed to a centrally held Scotland 7s contract in the summer of 2011 before being approached to join the Edinburgh Rugby elite development programme, after a string of impressive showings in the back-row.

He made his Scotland Club XV debut in 2013 while still at Edinburgh Academicals.

Scotland[edit]

After impressing for Edinburgh Rugby, Watson made his international debut in the home defeat to Italy during the 2015 Six Nations Championship.[2] His first international try came during the Autumn Internationals of November 2016 as Scotland beat Georgia[3] with his second coming the following summer in the impressive victory over Australia in Sydney.[4]

Watson has been a virtual ever-present for Scotland since 2017, garnering numerous Man of the Match awards.[5][6][7][8] Watson was selected in Scotland's squad for the Rugby World Cup in 2019, but suffered a tournament-ending injury in the opening match against Ireland.[9] Watson's outstanding run of form up to and including the 2021 Six Nations Championship, during which he was an ever-present and didn't miss a single tackle during the five matches, saw him ultimately winning the vote for Player of the Championship.[10]

In 2023 Watson was selected in Scotland's 33 player squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.[11]

British & Irish Lions[edit]

Watson's consistently high standards saw him selected in the 37-man squad for the British & Irish Lions 2021 tour to South Africa.[12] He took to the field for the first tour match against the Sigma Lions at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, becoming Lion #847. He scored a try within seven minutes and was named man of the match.[13][14] After performing well in the tour's warm-up matches, he was selected on the substitutes' bench for the first Test, coming on early in the second half as the Lions won 22-17 to lead the series.[15][16]

Career statistics[edit]

International analysis by opposition[edit]

Opposition Played Win Loss Draw Tries Points Win %
Argentina 4 3 1 0 1 5 .750
Australia 5 3 2 0 2 10 .600
England 6 3 2 1 0 0 .583
Fiji 2 1 1 0 0 0 .500
France 7 5 2 0 0 0 .714
Georgia 3 3 0 0 2 10 1.000
Ireland 7 1 6 0 1 5 .143
Italy 9 8 1 0 0 0 .889
Japan 1 1 0 0 0 0 1.000
New Zealand 2 0 2 0 0 0 .000
Romania 1 1 0 0 1 0 1.000
Samoa 1 1 0 0 0 0 1.000
South Africa[a] 3 1 2 0 1 5 .333
Tonga 1 1 0 0 0 0 1.000
Wales 7 2 5 0 0 0 .286
Career 59 33 24 1 8 35 .578

as of 1 October 2023

  1. ^ Includes of one British & Irish Lions test appearance in the 2021 tour to South Africa.

Personal life[edit]

Watson has gained two nicknames from fans: "The Mish", a shortening of his given name, and "Pinball", in reference to his unique running style which sees him bounce off several players over a short distance whilst carrying the ball.[17][18] The nickname "Pinball" was given to Watson by the Scottish Rugby Podcast.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Hamish Watson".
  2. ^ "Scotland v Italy - 2015 Six Nations". Six Nations Guide.
  3. ^ "Stuart Hogg stars with two tries as rampant Scotland see off Georgia". 26 November 2016 – via www.theguardian.com.
  4. ^ "Scotland move up to fourth in the world after famous win over Australia". The Independent. 17 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Hamish Watson named Guinness Six Nations Player of the Match". Six Nations Rugby. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  6. ^ Bath, Richard; Richardson, Charles (20 March 2021). "Scotland secure record victory in bonus-point hammering of sorry Italy". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  7. ^ Doel, Jon (12 March 2019). "This Scotland player's stats were just ridiculous against Wales". WalesOnline. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Scotland win in Wales to end 18-year wait". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  9. ^ McLaughlin, Luke (22 September 2019). "Ireland 27-3 Scotland: Rugby World Cup 2019 – as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Hamish Fergus Wallace Watson". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Scotland squad named for Rugby World Cup 2023". Scottish Rugby Union.
  12. ^ "Lions pick Simmonds but no Billy Vunipola". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Reaction after Adams scores four tries in British & Irish Lions victory". BBC Sport. 2 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Player Numbers".
  15. ^ "Jones to captain Lions in first Test". BBC Sport.
  16. ^ "Lions fight back to clinch series opener". BBC Sport.
  17. ^ "Hamish Watson: Scotland's Pinball Wizard and Player of the Championship". Six Nations Rugby. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  18. ^ Morgan, Charlie (29 March 2019). "How Hamish 'Pinball' Watson became an all-action cult hero for Edinburgh and Scotland". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Podcast: Series 4 Episode 8 - Pinball Balboa". 21 March 2018.

External links[edit]

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