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The bleak 2019 World Cup memory that is now driving on Sam Skinner
Sam Skinner can remember exactly where he was during the last Rugby World Cup – and it wasn’t where he wanted to be. Part of Scotland’s training squad for the 2019 tournament, the abrasive Edinburgh lock-cum-flanker’s versatility made him an almost certain pick for the final 31-man party.
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But after starting the second of four warm-up Tests, against France at Murrayfield, Skinner was carried off after an hour with a hamstring injury. As hamstring injuries go, it wasn’t the worst, but a week before Gregor Townsend was scheduled to name his final squad, the timing was horrendous.
A projected four-to-six weeks recovery period kyboshed his hopes of featuring in the tournament and Skinner returned to Exeter to begin the lonely rehabilitation process, as clubmates such as Jonny Gray, Stuart Hogg, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Henry Slade and Jack Nowell headed off to Japan.
“I remember sitting in one of the Chiefs’ dining areas during my rehab while everyone else was out training,” he recalled. “I was watching us play Samoa and remember Sean Maitland scoring a try from a cross-kick.
“I was just sat there in this silent room on my own, desperate for us to get four tries because we had lost to Ireland and basically had to win every game from there on. I remember it very well, sat by myself watching the World Cup go ahead without me.”
? "There's a good energy around the place."
Sam Skinner chats ahead of Saturday's home finale against @ospreys @Galbraith_Group ? pic.twitter.com/GkejWFiLqQ
— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) April 11, 2023
If Skinner is philosophical about his misfortune four years ago, missing out in the way he did has provided ample motivation to ensure he is involved in the global gathering in France this autumn. “Of course, it’s a massive dream of mine to go to a World Cup with Scotland and I’m going to put my best foot forward,” he said. “All I can do is control what I can.
“If something blindsides me like that, then it happens and that’s life, isn’t it? Worse things have happened to people. It wasn’t ideal last time around but that is just professional sport sometimes. Hopefully, I’ll just keep my head down, work hard and find myself with a plane ticket to France.”
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Second row is an area where Scotland are currently blessed with enviable resources, and Skinner has a job on his hands to ensure he receives the call. But with squad sizes rising from 31 to 33 for this World Cup, it would be a surprise – given his ability to also play blindside – if he wasn’t selected, despite fierce competition.
A rejuvenated Richie Gray and Skinner’s Edinburgh teammate Grant Gilchrist have been in pole position of late with Jonny Gray, Skinner and a fully restored Scott Cummings also contending hard, while Leicester’s ever-improving Cameron Henderson also featured in the wider Six Nations squad.
At 28, Skinner should still have at least one more World Cup to strive for, but recent experience tells him it doesn’t pay to look too far ahead. Another untimely injury has already cost him further caps this season.
After a promising start to life with Edinburgh following his move north from Exeter last summer, Skinner was chosen to start Scotland’s first autumn Test against Australia in late October. But he was forced off after only 24 minutes with what proved to be a small fracture in his foot and missed the rest of the autumn series.
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Skinner returned to action in late December and some strong form – notably in Champions Cup victories against Castres and Saracens – saw him restored to the squad for the Six Nations. But with Richie Gray’s Test renaissance in full swing, Skinner was restricted to just 10 minutes off the bench against France in Paris until Gray’s injury against Ireland saw him chosen to start Scotland’s final match against Italy – his 25th cap – alongside Jonny Gray.
If that confirmed Skinner is still very much in Townsend’s thoughts for a World Cup spot, Edinburgh’s mid-season collapse in form means Friday’s final-round URC fixture against Ulster will be his last chance to make a statement in club colours before the head coach announces his training squad for the tournament ahead of four warm-up Tests starting in late July.
Summer rugby at BT Murrayfield ?
Match packages for The Famous Grouse Nations Series are on general sale now ??#AsOne
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) April 18, 2023
For someone whose time at Exeter saw the club reach six English Premiership finals in a row – Skinner played in three successive Twickenham showpieces from 2018 to 2020, albeit the latter took place in October during a campaign extended by covid – this is unfamiliar territory.
“It feels like the shortest season of my life, I can’t believe it,” he said as he contemplates just his 14th club game of the season on Friday. “I’ve had half the games I had last season and to be stood here in April thinking we will be finishing next week is a bit different.”
Despite the earlier-than-anticipated end to Edinburgh’s campaign, the Exeter-born forward, whose father is from Ayr, insists he has “absolutely no regrets” about leaving his home city for pastures new.
“I have absolutely loved it,” he said. “Life away from rugby and the rugby side of things have been a real freshen-up for me. I have really enjoyed challenging myself in a new environment and meeting new people, seeing how things are done differently. It’s been really exciting.
“Edinburgh is an amazing city and an amazing place to live. It has been fantastic but the obvious elephant in the room is that we have not been as successful as we all would have liked as a team and that has been challenging. We’re disappointed but absolutely no regrets, it has been brilliant.”
17 OUT: 13 first-teamers and four academy players are being moved on from Edinburgh. #URC https://t.co/RXz5WPlZmy
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 7, 2023
Recent weeks have brought uncertainty following Mike Blair’s decision to step down as head coach and the appointment of former Worcester boss Steve Diamond in a consultancy capacity. Skinner believes Diamond’s arrival has “freed up” Blair and allowed him “more time and energy to put into our attack. You can feel his presence more, which is great, and the boys have loved that.”
Blair has spoken of his desire to focus solely on becoming a “world-class attack coach” and it is clear the Edinburgh squad are hoping that could still be in the Scottish capital, whoever the new head coach turns out to be. “I don’t know what he wants but he has a fantastic connection and bond with the players,” Skinner said.
“We all have the same opinion towards Mike. He is a fantastic coach. He has created a hell of an environment here for us and we owe him a lot. I would love to have Mike still at the club, 100 per cent.”
During a four-week break following some end-of-season reviews, Skinner will keep a close eye on how some of the “friends for life” he made at Exeter tackle their daunting Champions Cup semi-final against La Rochelle later this month, before his thoughts turn to France 2023.
Skinner should be fresher than most when the three-month build-up begins in early June with the first of a series of summer training camps geared towards Scotland trying to negotiate a fiendishly difficult group also featuring Ireland and South Africa.
“The general consensus is they want us ready to hit targets straight away, with a big rugby focus going into the World Cup, which is cool,” he added. “I’m ready to go.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Exeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
34 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
34 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
7 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
34 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
7 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
7 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
11 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
11 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
11 Go to comments