Jamie Dobie far from winging it at nine

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 01: Scotland's Jamie Dobie in action during a Quilter Nations Series match between Scotland and the USA at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, on November 01, 2025, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

It was a chance, over the course of a summer, to further hone his half-back craft in the most rugby-daft of countries. This Saturday he gets the opportunity to face the All Blacks themselves as part of the Quilter Nations Series.

Given the nod to start at scrum-half in last weekend’s opener against USA, the 24-year-old knows that opportunities in the international game need grasped but, having started Scotland’s last two matches in the number nine shirt, in Tests against Fiji and Samoa as part of the Skyscanner Pacific Tour, he’s never been in a better place with his rugby. A hat-trick and Player of the Match performance in that USA encounter offered further evidence that Jamie is in peak form.

The Glasgow Warriors man, who is equally adept at lining up on the wing, was appreciative of that summer tour: “It was an awesome experience to travel to completely the other side of the world with the group.

“I loved it [his Bay of Plenty stint]. Loved the culture, the place and the people, but unfortunately it was cut short through injury. 2025 was my first time back so it was nice to connect with some familiar faces and I played against a few of the Bay of Plenty boys in the Mãori game.

“Fiji and New Zealand are two of the only countries where you’d say rugby is the major sport, with the locals absolutely loving the build-up to the matches. It’s not often it’s the case that you feel like the general public know what’s happening at the weekend and why you’re there; people stopping you on the street, honking their horns at you.

Pictured: Jamie controlling proceedings at the base of a ruck in the July Test match against Fiji in Suva.

“[In Fiji] – to meet all of the locals and get to go to a local school were real highlights, to be honest, to see the joy on kids’ faces.

“[Fijians] are really nice to you in the build-up and then for 80 minutes you get the other side of it! But yeah, incredible rugby team and it was a pretty tough game for us. But it didn’t knock the fact that the tour was an awesome experience.”

With 14 caps to his name, including those two recent starts against Fiji and Samoa, Dobie knows that adding to his tally is not a given, with competition amongst Scotland’s scrum-half stable as fierce as one might expect.

But after an admittedly short break towards the tail end of this summer, he is ready to put his best foot forward during this Quilter Nations Series.

“I had a few weeks off after tour; it’s the time of year when you can get your head completely out of the game for a bit,” he said.

“I went to Majorca for just over a week with my girlfriend, to properly switch off, relax and enjoy some sun. Apart from that, it was a case of doing things that can be difficult during the season; going up to Inverness as my Mum’s still there, seeing my grandma, seeing friends – it was a really nice off-season with a chance to reset before all of a sudden you’re back into another season.

“I think this is the start of season seven which is wild! I feel like that’s flown by and that I could still be 19/20 and a couple of years out of school. It’s been a mad few years with moving to Glasgow and trying to establish myself there as a player, getting first experiences of national camps and then getting capped, then waiting for a run of games which has come in the last year or 18 months. I do consider myself as part of the young team but I am 24 now, so…”

One of the great Scottish rugby debates at the moment is which position Jamie is best suited to, given his ability to excel on the wing as well. How does he view such versatility?

“There’s no doubt that playing on the wing has made me a better scrum-half and vice-versa,” he explained.

Pictured: Jamie in wing action against Ireland during the 2025 Guinness Six Nations.

“I really enjoy playing both. I do want to play scrum-half more because I think your ability to influence a game is more – but that’s not to take away from wingers and I have a new appreciation for that. But yeah, scrum-half’s where I feel most at home.

“I feel comfortable in both to be a genuine option for Glasgow or Scotland and it’s nice to have those strings to the bow. Being versatile and being able to cover different positions is important and the main thing for me is that I want to be starting or in the 23 as much as possible.”

It may be season seven for him, but like many players Jamie has had to bide his time, to hone that craft and become ready for the rigours of the international game. It’s a suit that he knows how to wear and he reckons that any selection for Scotland is one that he will give his all to, as he added: “Patience is part of all rugby players’ careers and as a scrum-half you’re going to have to be patient in terms of gaining experience and learning how to control a game.

“On summer tour I got my first start in a Scotland jersey at scrum-half [against Fiji] which was a massive goal for me, and then to get that again against Samoa was really what I felt I needed. We’ve got such a competitive group who all want to be playing and being part of that is making me a better player.”

He may claim to feel ‘old’ at 24 but with such ability, be that orchestrating things from the back of the scrum or out wide, Jamie Dobie will be on hand to help his team over this line against the All Blacks wherever he’s required.

This article was originally published in the matchday programme for Scotland v USA, Saturday 1 November 2025.