Lomond MacPherson – One to Two to Super6

MELROSE, SCOTLAND - APRIL 23: Watsonian's Lomond MacPherson during a FOSROC Super6 match between Southern Knights and Watsonians at The Greenyards, on April 23, 2022, in Melrose, Scotland. (Photo by Simon Wootton / SNS Group)

Oban-born Lomond didn’t have the typical beginning to his rugby career, in fact it didn’t even start with rugby at all.

Growing up, Lomond had a passion for football, a sport which he, despite playing at the pro youth level at Dumbarton FC, decided to swap for the oval-ball game. He said, “I had the option to sign with the U17s [at Dumbarton] but decided against it and give rugby a shot.”

“I’ve always loved rugby and loved watching it. I love Scottish Rugby, it’s probably the time I’m most passionate about any sporting team.”

In his last couple of years at secondary school, Lomond moved to Edinburgh-based Merchiston Castle School where his love for rugby only grew. The 23-year-old recalls being heavily influenced by Scotland Internationalist Magnus Bradbury and his brother Fergus Bradbury, both of whom went to the same school and are also from Oban.

After leaving school, Lomond started studying Business at Edinburgh Napier University, a degree which he graduated from this year. It was this move from school to university that prompted his move to Watsonians FC. He said, “I was playing the second XV when I first started off and then towards the end of my first year, I started training with the first XV.”

It wasn’t until 2019, two years after Lomond joined the club, that FOSROC Super6 came into fruition, and he started training as part of the part-time professional side. He said, “My journey has been quite cool on reflection. I’ve come in, played in the second XV and kind of worked my way up into the first XV and eventually into the Super6.”

Lomond has played 34 games with the Edinburgh based club since the campaign’s inaugural season and has started for the team 10 times in the current championship – scoring five tries for his team during this shift. He said, “Super6 gives you more of a taste of what it’s like to be a professional, I think the campaign’s really good.

“I’d like to see more teams added in and if a solid level of competition remained throughout, 8-10 teams would be exciting.

“When the professional players [who occasionally play for Super6 teams] actually buy into it and buy into the team culture it’s really beneficial.”

During his first year at Watsonians, Lomond received the call telling him that he was selected for the Scotland U20 Six Nations squad. He said, “It was probably one of my greatest achievements – it was really special.”

Despite the team not getting the result they hoped for, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the winger.

“It’s such a task coming up against teams like New Zealand and South Africa and Australia who are so established and have such a massive pool of players to choose from.

“It was a massive challenge and we obviously didn’t do the best but there was definitely a lot of positives to take away from the experience.

“And representing your country is pretty special.

“We played All Blacks in the group stages so being a 19/20-year-old coming against The Haka was quite cool.”

With the 2022 FOSROC Super6 Championship Final on the horizon, Lomond and his team are preparing for what should be an epic clash, despite having some last-minute nerves in their semi-final match against Heriot’s Rugby last Friday. He said, “I wasn’t nervous before [last] Friday’s game, I was more worried at the fact that because we had such a good season, if we slipped up here, not getting to the final would be a massive disappointment.”

“I think the pressure is still on us to win, but the pressure’s off to some degree because we are in the final.

“If we get it right for the full 80 [minutes] or the majority of the game then we’ll hopefully get the job done.”

Get your tickets for the 2022 FOSROC Super6 Championship Final here