Alexandria’s Duncan Munn hopes that making memories with Scotland’s Under-20s side can inspire more local youngsters to follow in his footsteps.
Duncan, 19, captained Scotland at this year’s U20s Six Nations – including a memorable win over Wales at Glasgow’s Scotstoun Stadium.
And he hopes that the success, as well as the men’s first-team’s strong showings, can help inspire more local kids to follow in his footsteps
Duncan, who began his career with Bonhill-based Loch Lomond, said: “The Wales game being at home made it very special. I had a lot of friends and family there.
“At the final whistle I was more relieved than anything else though. We made it pretty hard work for ourselves. It was a very tough game and a really special night.
“Afterwards in the changing room there was a really good buzz around the group.
“The support we had was incredible. To have a few thousand people at Scotstoun who were with us every step of the way was really good.
“After the game being interviewed for the TV and things were pretty mad. It wasn’t something I ever expected would happen. I was quite overwhelmed to be honest.
“It was a dream come true.
“I can’t even remember what I was saying in interviews afterwards. I was so emotional, just trying to keep it all together.
“It was really nice during the anthems being able to spot the Loch Lomond hats and scarves in the crowd. The maroon and gold really stands out.
“I saw there was a little cluster of people from the club there. I went up to the stand to speak to them afterwards which was really nice. It meant a lot having so many people from the club supporting me, and hopefully I’ve shown them that you’re able to pursue your dreams.
“The success of the national team generally has had a huge impact. Hopefully that inspires more people to play the game.”
This year’s tournament was Duncan’s second taste of the U20s Six Nations, and one he felt he enjoyed more than his debut campaign in 2022.
He continued: “This year I probably enjoyed it a lot more. Getting the first win was pretty good for everybody.
“Having experienced it the previous year I was able to help the newer boys coming in who didn’t know the environment. I probably enjoyed it a bit more than I did in 2022.
“Obviously there were ups and downs, but the group as a whole was really tight and you could see that in some of our performances.”
Duncan’s focus is now firmly on the new Super Series campaign, with good performances vital to ensuring he gets to spend his summer representing the national team on the world stage.
He added: “I’m playing for the Glasgow Warriors A team in the Super Series for the first few weeks and then I think I’ll be back at Boroughmuir.
“I’m enjoying the competition. The standard is really high now with a lot of the U20 boys getting contracts, which can only be a good thing.
“The U20s have a tournament out in Kenya, the World Trophy, in July. So hopefully I’ll be involved in that as well.”
