INJURED rugby star Callum Hunter-Hill has vowed to keep working hard to achieve his dream and represent Scotland.
The second row suffered a meniscus tear while representing Saracens against Lyon on December 20 and underwent surgery just two days before Christmas.
Now, he has started his rehab programme in a bid to be back on the field by the end of March.
He said: “It is a lot of gym, a lot of gym work, a lot of rehab and a lot of icing it right now.
“It is getting rid of the swelling and trying to get all that out and getting the knee looking pretty normal.
“Then, it is back to walking, jogging and running and getting back into it.
“It is a lot of gym work and individual rehab, which is boring.
“The first two weeks I was not allowed to sweat after surgery with the risk of infection.
“That was especially boring and I was pretty much sat indoors for two weeks to start with.
“Now, I can get back to the gym and I am able to get out and about and put pressure on it.”
The meniscus is a tough piece of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between the shinbone and the thighbone.
It is the second time that Hunter-Hill, who grew up in Gullane, has suffered serious damage to that area in his left knee.
He told Courier Sport: “I kept on doing it this season.
“It is a really odd one where it comes and goes and it pops out.
“It sounds really grim and you would have to grab it and the physio is shoogling it round to get it back in.”
The 25-year-old has targeted a return date of March 25, when Saracens host Harlequins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Gallagher Premiership.
That is a week after the Six Nations Championship comes to a close.
The injury came just a month after Hunter-Hill was a late call-up to the Scotland squad for the autumn test with Argentina.
READ MORE: Callum Hunter-Hill hopes for Scotland debut against Argentina
In 2021, he was also named in the Scotland squad for the matches with England A, Romania and Georgia, which were scrapped due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The wait goes on for his Scotland debut but Hunter-Hill outlined what being involved in the national set-up meant to him.
He said: “I just want to be back there and get back into it.
“I want to be pushing my hand up and potentially getting a cap.
“I’m aware there are a lot of really good players and there is a lot of really good competition.
“Even guys that are injured and not in it just now make it even harder just to get a cap.
“I just need to keep playing well.”
Saracens travel north this weekend to face Edinburgh at the DAM Health Stadium, next to BT Murrayfield, in the Heineken Champions Cup.
The former Gullane Primary School pupil said it would not just be him that would be delighted if he was to pull on the Scotland jersey.
He said: “It would be a proud moment for me and my family as well.
“My little brother Ruaridh is obsessed with rugby.
“He just loves it and it would be huge. It is something I want to do and I just need to work hard and keep improving my game.
“Eventually, hopefully, that puts me in good stead.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here