Paddy Harrison: From dairy farm to debut

• 3 Sep 2024
• Features

Edinburgh Rugby's Paddy Harrison has taken the less-trodden path to professional rugby.

Hailing from a dairy, sheep and cattle farm just outside West Linton, Harrison’s upbringing was far removed from the glamorous world of professional sport.

Yet, his love for the game, nurtured at Peebles RFC, has propelled him to the top, culminating in a Scotland call-up and international debut this past summer against Chile.

“It’s amazing to have the farm away from rugby,” Harrison reflects. “It really gets you away from the sport and you just get stuck into jobs that have nothing to do with it.

“I’ve got three older brothers on the farm who don’t treat me any different. At the end of the day, it’s just playing rugby, that’s what they do, they all play for Peebles.

“Getting stuck into farming is just good fun. Because no one really cares that you’re a rugby player when you’re getting stuck in on your own, doing a bit of fencing.”

The grounding he gained on the farm has undoubtedly shaped his character and work ethic. Harrison’s rugby journey began at Peebles RFC, where he played alongside his brothers.

Harrison scores a solo try against Glasgow Warriors in the 1872 Cup

“I love playing at Peebles,” he recalls. “It was real good fun, real good lads.” It was at Peebles that Harrison transitioned from back-row to hooker, a position he has excelled in ever since.

His performances for Peebles caught the eye of Edinburgh Rugby’s pro-academy, and he quickly progressed through the club’s ranks.

At just 18 years old, Harrison made his Edinburgh Rugby debut against Dragons at the Principality Stadium in March 2020. In doing so, he became the youngest hooker in club history – third youngest in league history – and the club’s fourth youngest debutant of all time.

Harrison’s potential was clear from the outset, and he quickly established himself as a valuable member of the Edinburgh Rugby squad.

He made his first start for the club in the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup clash against Ulster in June 2021, and grabbed his first score for the club against Cardiff in October 2022.

This past summer, Harrison received a surprise call-up to the Scotland squad for the Skyscanner Americas Tour, with fixtures against Canada, USA, Chile and Uruguay.

“It was surprising getting a phone call,” he admits. “But also really exciting.

“And then just to make it, to get out there, it was just class. The first couple of weeks, although I didn’t play, it was still really good.

“It was class meeting all the boys I didn’t know that weren’t from Edinburgh. They were all great lads. And then two good weeks of training leading into Chile.”

Harrison made his international debut against Chile in Santiago, a moment he will never forget, and one that was made all the sweeter by having his family over to watch.

Harrison speaks to media ahead of Scotland’s Skyscanner Americas Tour

“My mum [Ann] and dad and one of my brothers [Jack] flew out on the Friday, the day before the game, so that was pretty special,” Harrison explained.

“They basically just booked the flights on the Thursday and then flew out on the Friday. It wasn’t like a pre-planned thing so it was pretty last-minute, but I’m glad they came out.

“They were with the mob of folk who came onto the pitch [at full-time] so it was quite funny. My dad was on the pitch behind me, which gave me a bit of a surprise.

“There were quite a lot of people on the pitch, to be fair. That was why it was quite funny as it doesn’t usually happen. They obviously didn’t have enough security guards around the pitch and everyone came on! It was quite cool, all the fans kicking about at the game.”

Harrison followed up his Scotland debut with his first international try a week later as he crossed the whitewash against Uruguay. That experience has undoubtedly given Harrison a taste of what’s to come and has fueled his ambition for the future.

“Success for me this year? Just to play more,” he declares. “That would probably be my goal, yeah. You get that taste of international action as well so any opportunity like that would just be amazing.”

As Harrison continues to develop his game at Edinburgh Rugby, one thing is certain: his journey from the farm to the top is far from over.