"The first thing that comes into my head, I'll do it..."

He's one of the most instinctive talents in the world game, so we grilled Darcy Graham to find out what makes him fick

- ALAN DYMOCK

A LIFETIME AGO, when Darcy Graham was on the sevens circuit with Scotland, he talked to Rugby World with gusto about the joy of globetrotting with the outfit. Today, as one of the most enthralling Test wingers in the game, the Hawick hero is known far and wide.

But as the 26-year-old chatted to us from Scotland’s pre-World Cup camp in Nice, it became clear that the Edinburgh star is unencumbered by his rise. Indeed, he was happy to cover all sorts in this wide-ranging Q&A…

How did you end up playing rugby?

“I was relatively late into it, starting in primary six. I was terrible at football, so I tried rugby and really took to it. I just loved getting the ball and running with it, and all my pals played it. It was a really small primary school, Stirches.

“I kind of did all sports growing up – football, horse riding, gymnastics, vaulting. I did everything. But my uncle (Scott MacLeod) played and I grew up watching him play for Scotland and Edinburgh and the Scarlets. I’d always go to his house and he had a photo of himself facing the All Blacks. I always wanted a photo like that.”

Do you not have one like that now? There is a cracking shot of you upside down trying to score a try in the corner against them at Murrayfield…

“The one that got away, that one! I think my big toe was in touch there!”

Just to go back – horse riding. It feels like such a big part of Borders life…