Cairns On Scotland Call-Up

Ben Cairns admits he was thrilled to be named in Scotland coach Frank Hadden’s 35-man training squad ahead of the RBS 6 Nations tournament, which starts in February.The 22-year-old the youngest back in Edinburgh’s starting line-up has been rewarded for his enterprising start to the season; scoring three tries in his previous five games.And the former Currie man revealed he was elated at being selected in the training squad that is scheduled to meet next week.Cairns said: Obviously Im delighted to be involved. It has been an exciting time with Edinburgh recently and I said before that I just wanted to play well for the team. I thought that then hopefully my performances on the pitch would merit a call-up for the Scotland squad.Despite being in his second season as a professional, Cairns has been a virtual ever present in Edinburgh’s starting line-up missing just one game during the opening half of the campaign.And the utility back, who like Scotland great Ian McGeechan was born in Leeds,_believes he has been picked on the contribution he has made since September rather than just because he scored the winning try in the derby victory over Glasgow in December.He said: I think hopefully my performances throughout the season have led to me getting selected.Playing against the likes of Leinster will stand me in good stead when I get the opportunity to join up with the Scotland squad.Even though he has reached an early career high, Cairns is determined not to rest on his laurels and he is aiming to produce an even better performance when Edinburgh face England’s champions, Leicester at Murrayfield on Saturday (12 January, kick off 3.30pm).He added: Im happy with how Im playing at the moment, but Im always striving to do better. Everyone in the team is doing well at the moment and hopefully we can carry that on against Leicester on Saturday.