He grew up dreaming of wearing the green of South Africa but ended up in Scotland’s blue. Yet Pierre Schoeman could hardly have been prouder when he made his Test debut for his adopted country – perhaps the country that adopted him would be more accurate – against Tonga at Murrayfield in October.
His feelings were shared by his mother Mari when she made the long journey from South Africa to watch her boy. And even when he lined up against the Springboks, family ties were more powerful than national allegiance. Asked which team Mari was supporting at that game, Schoeman said: “Scotland, obviously.”
Schoeman, 27, had been touted as a Test player in waiting since he made the move from the Bulls to Edinburgh just over three years ago. As many predicted, he was hastened into the Scotland squad almost as soon as he became eligible on residency grounds. He subsequently played in all four autumn Tests, the first three in the starting lineup and the last – against Japan – off the bench.
Did he ever doubt his own worth? Seemingly not, but the experience was still an eye-opener. “I always believed I would play international rugby since I was young,” the loose-head prop said. “So I’m very proud of that. The thing I learned the most in those four weeks with Scotland was consistency — whether you’re representing your club or Scotland, just being your best every rep, every training.
“That’s how you keep on your game as an international player, I believe, and how you grow. You learn from the experienced players and the coaching staff as well.”
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When Edinburgh go up against Saracens in their Challenge Cup clash at the StoneX Stadium on Saturday, the challenge Schoeman faces will be comparable to a full international, such is the quality of the English side’s pack. Yet it is not one he finds daunting.
“It’s the games you want to play,” he said. “I’m not saying there are any easy games, but I’m saying it’s nice to play in the big matches. The set-piece battle, the physicality is a bit more up there. It’s more of a challenge, everyone wants to win. And it’s nice to play a Premiership side because we don’t get that opportunity much.
“We feel very confident. It’s about the game day, about the mentality in that 80 minutes. Sometimes you prep so well and then it’s a bad day at the office, or vice versa. But yeah, I’m feeling very confident. Our set-piece battle, our kicking, we’ve learnt a lot from the experienced players and the coaches, so it’s exciting going down there.”
Edinburgh have confirmed that Viliame Mata, their Fijian No 8, is likely to be sidelined ‘for a considerable period of time’ as he recovers from the knee injury he sustained in the side’s win against Benetton last weekend. Damien Hoyland is likely to be absent for a significant period as well after also injuring a knee in the same match.
