Ruaridh McCall is the newest rugby player to join the ranks here at FirstPoint USA. Ruaridh hails from Strathaven, and is currently in his final year of studies at Strathaven Academy. We recently caught up with Ruaridh to find out some more about his sporting background, why he wishes to pursue a scholarship to the states, and his future aspirations.
Whilst in primary school, Ruaridh tells us that he played for Strathaven Rugby Club, moving to Glasgow Hawks whilst in secondary school. At the age of 15, Ruaridh was selected for the Glasgow and the West U16 regional squad and played in all four of their regional matches that summer; the final being held at Murrayfield. Ruaridh was then kept in the programme by being selected for the Player Development Programme (PDP). The following year, Ruaridh played for the Glasgow and the West region at U18 level. Again, he was selected to attend the PDP over the winter, as well as playing throughout the summer in the Inter-District Regional Championship for Glasgow and the West U18’s. Additionally, Ruaridh tells us that he recently played in the Inter-District final at Murrayfield this year, and was selected to be in the starting 15.
We asked Ruaridh to tell us about his favourite sporting memory to date so far...
“My best psorts memory was when I was playing for Glasgow and the West U18 regional squad at Murrayfield in 2016. We were playing Edinburgh, a team we had never beaten before. We were in overtime and the score was 19-12 to Edinburgh. I managed to win the ball in their lineout and we worked our way up the field from inside our 22 to then score and convert a try to tie the game. The fact we were over 5 minutes into the red zone made the achievement even more memorable.”
Ruaridh tells us that he wishes to study in the states as he wants the opportunity to follow his rugby dreams whilst also working towards earning a degree. By attending a university in the US, Ruaridh feels he will have the opportunity to do so. He is looking forward to pushing himself in both his academic and sport, and is excited to experience the American life and all of the challenges and opportunities that it will bring.
When we asked Ruaridh about his top three sportspeople of all time, he told us...
“Richie McCaw – I always idolised him when I was young, and tried to learn different techniques from him for rugby.
“Stuart Hogg – I met him once at a Scotland match. I remember thinking how much bigger he was than how he looked on TV. He was also extremely nice to me, and I love the way he plays.
“Usain Bolt – I love his attitude and his determination. He also has great character.”
Finally, we asked Ruaridh where he sees himself being in 10 years time. He stated that he hopes to be playing rugby at a professional level and, if possible, would like to be pursuing a career in a medical field.
We’d like to thank Ruaridh for catching up with us, and we wish him the best of luck for throughout his scholarship process. We will keep you updated on Ruaridh’s progress through our various social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
