Ollie Blyth-Lafferty wants to push himself into contention for a Scotland call-up after signing his first professional contract with Edinburgh.
The 19-year-old tighthead prop made an impressive first start for the club in the terrific Champions Cup victory over Toulon last weekend.
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«It was absolutely amazing coming up against Toulon and doing it at home as well,» Blyth-Lafferty told BBC Scotland.
«Getting to put that many points on them and starting also. It was an amazing week going into it and then to top it off with a win – absolutely brilliant.
«Definitely a memory for a long time. Absolutely loved it.»
Blyth-Lafferty admits he was nervous after being told he was being pitched in from the start against the three-time European champions.
«At first it was a bit scary to be honest, but through the week I got a lot more confident,» he said.
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«A lot of the older guys, more experienced players, like Grant Gilchrist and Magnus Bradbury, they definitely helped me out and built that confidence.
«By the time we came out into game day, I just felt more excited than anything else. The nerves definitely died down as the week went on.»
Having had a taste top level rugby, Blyth-Lafferty wants to push himself and play in more big games.
«At first I didn’t really know what was going to be next for me, but getting to sign a full pro deal at my hometown, Edinburgh, is amazing,» he said.
«It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a wee boy. Getting to do that is a dream come true, to be honest.
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«I just want to go as far as I can with my rugby. There’s definitely still a lot of work to be done.
«I’d say for me, playing for Scotland would be the goal now and hopefully tick that off eventually, but I know that there’s still a lot I need to do and a lot I need to work on if I want to get that. It’s exciting but it’s definitely going to be a long run for me.»
