Munn reflects on his Scotland U20 Debut

3 Mar 2022

For some, representing your country is a once in a lifetime opportunity. For Duncan Munn, the first time he pulled on the thistle and sang the national anthem will be a core memory that he’ll forever cherish.

Kenny Murray’s 30-man squad are now over the halfway point in their Under-20 Six Nations campaign, by playing against their English, Welsh, and French counterparts.

Scotland proved dominant in their first two games by ending the first halves with leads over their opponents. However, those leads overturned as England and Wales came back stronger to claim victory, same with France.

Now, Scotland are looking ahead to entering their final rounds of the tournament, where they will face Italy on the 11 March, and then Ireland the weekend after, at away venues.

Duncan said: ‘’As a team we are trying to find that consistency in our performances and carry through the intensity we’ve been starting the matches with.

‘’We’ve learnt a lot from our last games, and it’s the small moments that we need to take advantage of that’ll then help us to complete that full 80-minute action-packed performance.

‘’There’s a good bond in our team as we back each other, and we’ll do the same again as we look forward to the final rounds and will hopefully play some high-quality rugby.’’

Those opening fixtures led to new Scotland U20 debutant Duncan explaining how the experience of singing the Scottish national anthem and playing for the full 80 minutes has been a dream come true.

The centre said: ‘’It has been an unreal opportunity for me, something I had dreamed of achieving since being a kid.

‘’Even the whole build-up to the matches have been surreal, from getting on and off the team bus to when running through the smoke onto the pitches, it is something completely different to anything I’ve ever experienced before.

At just 18 years old, Munn has already made his name in the world of rugby by moving up the age-grade system fairly quickly. Having played for various teams since the age of five, Duncan has consistently showed his talent and skills on the pitch.

The FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy player, who currently plays at Boroughmuir Bears and trains with Glasgow Warriors, has found the training at Scotland U20 level to be nothing like he has experienced before.

‘’Since joining the U20 squad the intensity of training has stepped up, it’s a lot more personal and stricter in terms of scheduling for us, but it’s still amazing to be a part of, and it just shows the standard of rugby we’re playing at much like it is in the professional rugby environment.

‘’All the boys have a really good attitude in the camp and that makes a difference, we’re able to talk plays through and help one another out, and with nearly half the squad being previous U20 players it helps us going into the next rounds of this tournament.’’ Duncan said.