RUGBY star Harvey Elms is getting ready to swap travelling the globe for life Down Under.

Elms has spent the last five years pulling on the blue jersey of Scotland in the World Rugby Sevens Series.

However, with the Scotland squad changed in favour of Great Britain, Elms has made the decision to start a new chapter of his life.

Speaking to Courier Sport on Tuesday, he said: “I’m actually going to Sydney in January.

“The flights are booked and I am heading out there to play for Warringah Rats in the Shute Shield.

“I am going out to play a bit of rugby, get a bit of work and it is a bit of a lifestyle change after not making the GB team.

“I was thinking of the opportunities and of what I could do next and Sydney is somewhere I have been a few times and would like to live.

“I have got a few friends out there already and a couple play for Warringah Rats.

“I thought I may as well give it a crack.”

East Lothian Courier: Harvey Elms will again represent Scotland in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Picture: Scottish Rugby/SNS.Harvey Elms will again represent Scotland in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Picture: Scottish Rugby/SNS.

The club, which was previously home to Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend and England star Danny Cipriani, is a two-time winner of the Shute Shield.

The competition is the premier club tournament in New South Wales and will see Elms, of North Berwick, return to playing 15-a-side rugby.

The decision to move from a Scotland squad to a Great Britain set-up came about just before the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Unfortunately, Elms got a call saying he would not be part of the new system, which features former Musselburgh star Freddie Roddick.

READ MORE: Harvey Elms excited for Commonwealth Games debut

Elms said: “When I got the phone call, I think I sort of just had a mindset where it was good now to have a new opportunity.

“To go and do something like this, I would not be able to do this if I was still playing sevens.

“I thought ‘don’t get caught up in it or be gutted’ and instead looked at the positives of what I could do now being 27.

“If I played until I was 30, 31 or 32, I would maybe never have the opportunity to go live somewhere else.”

Elms made his Scotland sevens debut in 2017 and has gone on to represent his country at 27 World Rugby Sevens Series events since then.

On top of that, he has also played at two Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.

He described the last few years as “an unreal experience”.

East Lothian Courier: Harvey Elms, pictured alongside fellow county and Scotland star Megan Gaffney, is heading for AustraliaHarvey Elms, pictured alongside fellow county and Scotland star Megan Gaffney, is heading for Australia

Elms said: “I think I had just graduated from university not knowing what I was doing and then a few months later I was running out in Dubai.

“It was just pretty surreal.

“I loved every minute of it.

“Looking back on the experiences I had, the places I got to go and the friends I have made – I have made friends for life – that I know through sevens and just the experiences we have had together.

“It is such a small group and everybody is so tight.

“I never believed I would have ever gone on to play in as many tournaments as I did and have a huge part of my 20s travelling round these cool places.

“I was playing in stadiums, in front of thousands of people, and representing Scotland.

“I have only got fond memories.

“Looking back, it has been a bit of a rollercoaster and a lot comes with it but I have loved the last four or five seasons.”