Jonny Gray has fond memories of watching and playing in the Six Nations, and hopes Scotland will have BT Murrayfield rocking when England visit on Saturday.
Scotland grabbed a famous 11-6 win over England at Twickenham in last year’s tournament, and hopes for a similar result when they clash head on in Edinburgh, in front of a full house.
And while the former Cambuslang star knows it’s going to be tough against a few of his Exeter Chiefs teammates, he says Scotland are confident going into the opener.
Scotland follow that up with a trip to Wales on February 12, host France on February 26, then travel to Italy and Ireland in March.
Gray said: “Just looking at every game, every team in this tournament you know how tough it’s going to be.
“England are first up; we know how tough that’s going to be, with the talent and depth that they’ve got.
“Playing with some of those guys who are my teammates now, I get to see first-hand how good they are, and playing against some of these guys in the Premiership as well has been a massive experience for me and I’ve learned a lot.
“We know how tough that challenge is going to be, but at the same time we’re a confident camp.
“We know we need to prepare really well because it’s such a huge talent, England, but there’s massive belief in the squad and hopefully we will prepare well and get a win on Saturday.”
Gray says he can’t really believe he’s involved in the Six Nations, having watched games while growing up.
“It’s massively exciting, I think, just the tournament itself – everyone’s got memories of it, how big the competition is,” he said.
“Early memories for me are going down to my local club, Cambuslang, to watch the games and how excited we were, and to try and get a bus through to some of the games and stuff.
“To be involved in it is very special and it still feels surreal to be a part of it, but I’m privileged.
“The Six Nations is such an exciting tournament, it’s such a real buzz all round, but you see how tough and competitive it is.
“It’s such a special experience, and playing at BT Murrayfield is unbelievable.
“It’s massive excitement, and hopefully we can get off to a good start.
“It’s going to be a huge challenge against England, but to have crowds back to BT Murrayfield is massive.
“When you talk about those memories, and you remember going to those games, the atmosphere is a big part of that, and the places you get to travel to... it’s just such a privilege to be a part of.
“I’m very lucky to do it, and if I get selected then to be part of it again will be brilliant.”
Scotland finished fourth in the competition last year, and Gray hopes they can build on that, but says the talent coming through is unbelievable.
Gregor Townsend named five uncapped players in Andy Christie, Ben White, Kyle Rowe, Rory Darge and Ben Vellacott, and Gray says that makes for fierce competition.
“It was good last week when we met up,” he said. “There are a couple of new faces, and it’s good to be back in to see everyone and the coaches again, and to get stuck into training.
“When you look at Scottish Rugby just now, the depth they’ve got, the young talent coming through, it’s really exciting.
“[Building on last year’s tournament] is something we spoke about, not just the last Six Nations campaign but all the experiences we had, even at the World Cup.
“Every time we get together we have to get better, and we know that when we’re in camp, these sessions have such limited time.
“We know we have to improve and we know we have to prepare.”
Gray says pulling on the dark blue of Scotland is still ‘surreal’ despite plying his trade in the Premiership, and is grateful for his opportunities.
He said: “It still feels surreal, to be honest, and I feel very lucky.
“I owe a lot to people who have got me to where I am just now, from coaches to family and friends – my gran especially – but I wouldn’t want to name anyone or single anyone out because I’d miss too many people.
“I’ve just been very lucky to have a lot of good mentors from Cambuslang all the way through to Glasgow, and now working at Exeter.
“I’m very lucky that in every environment from when I was young to now I’ve worked with some great people who have helped me improve my game.
“Going down to Exeter, I like to think I’ve learned a lot. I know I’ve still got a lot of work to do, and a lot to learn in my game, but I’m enjoying my rugby.”
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