Luke Crosbie hopes to re-establish himself in Scotland back row

Luke Crosbie is aiming to re-establish himself in Scotland’s back row as he continues riding the “rollercoaster” of being a professional rugby player.

The 27-year-old Edinburgh flanker has begun each of the last two Six Nations championships in the starting XV but has been unable to fully assert himself as a first choice in Gregor Townsend’s side due to a combination of intense competition for places and untimely injuries.

While the form of Glasgow back-row trio Jack Dempsey, Matt Fagerson and Rory Darge in particular has been a clear factor in Crosbie seemingly slipping down the pecking order, he also has reason to curse the impact of a shoulder injury sustained against Wales in Cardiff that ended his participation in the Six Nations and allowed others to stake their claim.

“It’s a rollercoaster,” said Crosbie, who has won 11 caps since his debut three years ago. “One minute you’re starting against Wales and the next minute you’re having to get your missus to help put your socks on. That’s part of the sport. It was tough.

“You ride the emotion on the day. As well as it being pretty painful, taking painkillers to get through it, you’ve got the emotion of it, working so hard to be starting for Scotland – ‘right, this is what I’ve worked for’ and wanting to put on a good performance to play the next week.

“And then all of a sudden, one knock and your whole mindset and thought process leading up to the Six Nations completely changes. That’s it.

“I’ve come back better from that. Now I’m just really focused on getting back out there, playing with a thistle on my chest and running out at Murrayfield again.”

After his Six Nations frustration, Crosbie returned to the Scotland fold for the summer tour of the Americas but his progress was halted again by a neck injury that restricted him to just one United Rugby Championship start for Edinburgh ahead of this month’s Autumn Series.

Having played no part in the opening two Tests against Fiji and South Africa, Crosbie is expected to be involved as Townsend shuffles his pack for the visit of Portugal this Saturday. A shoulder injury sustained by Dempsey could pave the way for Crosbie to play his way into contention for the Australia match the following weekend.

“You’ve got to ask the boss man about that,” he said when asked if he felt a door could open for him over the next couple of games. “I’m just focused on doing my thing. Whatever happens, if I get a chance, I’ll grab it with both hands and get out there and not waste any opportunity I’ve got.

“Irrelevant of what game it is, everyone just wants to keep playing for Scotland.

“You’ll find that if it’s the start of the campaign against Fiji, you want to play well because you want to play at Murrayfield the next week. If you play against South Africa, you want to play well because you want to play again for Scotland the next week. Once you’ve done it once, it doesn’t matter.

“I’ve been working hard since coming back fit. I’m just waiting for that green light to go out there and do my thing and get back in the mix.”