Dropped Borders rugby starlet signs for French team after Facebook appeal
Dropped Borders rugby starlet signs for French team after Facebook appeal
Finn Douglas turned to social media after being released by Edinburgh.
France to the rescue, fingers crossed he kicks on and makes a full Scotland cap. But what is really interesting (to me) is the use of facebook to get a job, not LinkedIn or an agent, and certainly not the SRU which have invested in him, and should have been able to offer a USA slot, but no super6 any more either. Anyway, I hope he enjoys D2
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A young rugby player from the Scottish Borders has signed to a club in France after advertising himself on Facebook.Flying winger and fullback Finn Douglas was dropped by Edinburgh two weeks ago after facing competition from some of the finest back threes in world rugby.Rather than suffer defeat, he turned to social media and has now secured a one-year contract with Valence Romans, based in Romans-sur-Isère, and will play in the club's under-23 system.The 20-year-old from St Boswells said: "I felt I could either sit and not take rugby seriously anymore, or I could go out and see what else was out there.
Though he had won Scotland under-20 caps last year, Douglas' competition at Edinburgh included Scotland Test stars DTH van der Merwe, Darcy Graham and Harry Paterson, as well as Argentinian Emiliano Boffelli and South African Wes Goosen.But he knew he did not want to give up on the sport - and knew he wanted to play in France even before making his appeal on a Facebook page called Rugby Union Vacancies.
"He could have pursued a career in another sport having won Scottish sprint titles and played football with Hibernian FC's academy, but decided at 15 his future lay with rugby.He said he had no regrets going down that route, following his father, Andy, a former Jed-Forest centre and Scotland youth internationalist.
But Douglas said reaching the top level for a young Scot was incredibly difficult with just two professional teams - Glasgow and Edinburgh - and competition from foreign players.
Valence Romans were promoted into the French ProD2 last year and Douglas will now play against the likes of former European Cup winners Brive - the former club of Gregor Townsend - Biarritz and Colomiers.
Fellow Borderer Rudi Brown, who left Edinburgh last year for France, has enjoyed a successful season in the ProD2, winning promotion with his club Vannes to the French top 14.
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