Harry Paterson is set for a busy year off the rugby pitch as he enters the final year of a sports science degree, and on the pitch the back three man will be hoping to continue where he left off with Scotland in the summer.
Paterson was one of the outstanding performers on Scotland’s summer tour, scoring his first international try in the win over Canada before an assured display against Uruguay.
After an outstanding debut against France in the Six Nations, Paterson managed just two more appearances for Edinburgh before injury ruled him out of the rest of the season. The game in Ottawa was a nice reintroduction, he said this week.
He said: "The Canada game was my first game since the middle of the Six Nations, so I was kind of just trying to get back into the swing of things.
“We seemed to click that day, so it was quite a good game to maybe get back into. We got a lot of ball, and we had a real crack, so it was quite fun that game.
“A lot of gaps opened up, which was nice. It was a great day.”
Paterson has been back with Edinburgh for a couple of weeks and said the squad is in good shape ahead of their pre-season clash with Gloucester on September 13.
“We’re feeling good,” the 23-year-old enthused.
"We're pushing towards that Gloucester pre-season game, and then Leinster week one [of the URC], which is massive. Everything is geared towards that.”
Paterson has a job on his hands just to get in the Edinburgh team, with Scotland’s all-time record try-scorer Duhan van der Merwe and fit-again international duo Darcy Graham and Emiliano Boffelli among his competition.
But he welcomes the competition.
“The squad's so competitive at the moment: most of the boys are fit, there aren’t many injuries and especially in my position, there's a lot of competition, which gets everyone better.
"We're just all trying to push each other. I've always tried to learn from them a lot.”
But Paterson was keen to stress Hawick-born Graham, who is equal third on Scotland’s all-time try list, is a unique talent.
Modestly, he added: “Darcy's hard to learn from because he's just so unique and it's hard to learn that.
“Ultimately, realistically, I probably won't be able to do what he does.
“In fact, I definitely won’t be able to do what he does, but being able to take little things and add them to your game, that's what you can really try to do."
And Paterson, primarily a fullback, hopes he has added another string to his bow over the past 12 months by becoming more comfortable playing on the wing.
“If you asked me a year ago, I'd have definitely said 15,” he said. “But getting some exposure there with Edinburgh on the wing, I've enjoyed it much more than I ever have, so I'd say I'm fairly comfortable in both.”
Away from rugby, Paterson is entering the final year of a sports science degree at the University of Edinburgh.
The former Edinburgh Academy pupil believes his studies can benefit his rugby career.
He added: “I've always been a bit of a nerd around everything sports science and stuff like that, so even at school I did my own stuff outside of subjects.
“You learn a lot, and especially as I go on with Uni, the later it gets, the more I can specialise and do what I want to do.
“I can actually focus in on stuff that I'm really interested in. You can use it as a tool to switch off in a way.
“I might even look at other sports entirely, like endurance sports, which is a completely different realm for me and I know nothing about. I find that really interesting.
“It's good for the mind, I think.”
Paterson was on hand to support the world's oldest varsity match between University of Edinburgh and St Andrews University.
The match takes place at Edinburgh Rugby’s Hive Stadium on Saturday September 21. Tickets are available from £10 via scottishvarsitymatch.com
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