Ben White has paid tribute to London Irish for pushing him into the position to drive Scotland to Calcutta Cup victory over England.
Exiles scrum-half White stole away from a ruck to claim his second try against England in as many years, as Scotland defeated the Auld Enemy 29-23 at Twickenham on Saturday.
The 24-year-old was backed to start ahead of seasoned Lions campaigner Ali Price by Gregor Townsend, and the move paid full dividend as Scotland sealed a third straight Calcutta Cup triumph for the first time in 51 years.
White became Leicester’s youngest-ever Premiership player at 17 years and 151 days back in 2015, but left the Tigers for Irish in 2021.
After cementing his Test status with Scotland and going down in Calcutta Cup folklore, White quickly moved to thank Irish’s coaches for whipping him into international shape.
“I’m very grateful to the people I’ve had around me,” said White. “The move to London Irish for me, and the coaching staff there, I’m very grateful for all of them there.
“They’ve backed me, they’ve helped me, developed me, and got me to where I am today. Irish play a similar style to Scotland at certain times. We both want to play fast, up-tempo rugby, both like shifting the ball to the edge, and that’s probably helped me to get here as well.
“Declan Kidney, Les Kiss, Brad Davis, they are very smart, very experienced coaches. They’ve seen a lot of things, and they’ve help me week in, week out to get to this position.”
White qualifies for Scotland through his grandfather, and Saturday’s cherished match jersey will wind up framed on his dad’s wall in Stoke on Trent. The delighted Irish half-back admitted disappointments in his career have only stiffened his resolve for success.
“As a player I back myself. I have the skills, but I’m still only 24,” said White. “Like anybody in any job in life, it’s not a straight line.
“I feel that the setbacks I’ve had have made me mentally tougher, and they’ve made me stronger. And is it going to be plain sailing going forward? No. Of course it’s not, I’m aware of that.
“But coming in with Scotland, Gregor and the coaches have helped me again, moved me forward again. The way that they speak to me, the way that we talk about the game, the way they’ve made me think about the game, that’s improved me as well.
“And when I’m here, Gregor’s been amazing with me, just the way he’s made me think about the game, and just the confidence he’s installed in me, I’m very grateful for.”
