McCallum: “I’m delighted to be here.”

• 31 Jan 2023
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Murray McCallum chats after making his ‘second debut’ for the club against Cell C Sharks.

On making an ‘almost winning return’

“You never want to lose. You play the game to win. Even when you lose graciously with all that effort, it’s still crap. You never learn to lose.

“The fact that I was able to come back to this club and help out, and I want to help them compete at the highest level, I’m just delighted to be here.

On the club ‘being different’ since he left

“It’s slightly different! It’s a very different environment. It is still one that you can progress as a player and a team. We’re still working hard and we don’t shy away from that.

“There have not been many changes in terms of the players and even some of the staff and that has helped me slot back in reasonably effortlessly. I am happy.”

On facing the ‘Ox’

“Not too bad. He’s done a couple of things himself. He’s the kind of player you want to play against, particularly in the scrum.

“You want to test yourself against the best and he is one of the best particularly in that area. It was brilliant.”

On how he’s changed since leaving in 2021

“A few things have happened for me on and off the pitch. I’ve been able to look at myself and think how maybe the back end of my last time at Edinburgh didn’t go my way and what I could have done better.

“I’ve been able to look at my game around the scrum and I’ve been lucky enough to play in the Premiership. It’s a different game down there. I feel I have certainly progressed that part of my game and I want to just keep learning.

“Over the last few days this week my fiancé and the little one and my mum were kind enough to go down and pack up the house.

“That’s us out of the house in Worcester now. It’s a shame and we were sad to leave it.

“We were only there for nine months and it was meant to be 18. It’s sad to be leaving there, but we’re delighted to be back nearer home at this great club.

On his current deal

“It is to the end of the season. Whatever happens after that we will see.

“All I know is that I am 100 percent focused on Edinburgh and this season and putting myself in the best possible position to play rugby for this team until the end of the season at least. And then we will see.”