Gavin Hastings: I'm backing De Luca to make mark for club and country

Centre can earn a Lions berth with progress for Edinburgh and Scotland, insists Gavin Hastings

FOLLOWING the opening round of matches in the Heineken League and the first few weeks of the Magners League, an exciting season has begun to unfold. From the start this has promised to be a massive season for those involved in Scottish rugby, from club chairmen like myself to coaches and players alike.

Alongside the usual club and country interests, this season has the added bonus of a Lions tour to South Africa as its finale. And while most of the players who battled it out last weekend will be focusing first and foremost on their club, thoughts are already beginning to turn to the tour party, with Lions coach Ian McGeechan stating last week that he will name a draft squad of 60 players in January.

For the Scots in particular, they will be looking to make up for the disappointment of providing only a handful of players for the last Lions tour in 2005 and for a larger representation this time around. It is encouraging that Ian has told Scottish players they must believe they can be selected, and he has already been in touch with our coaches for information.

For me, the first big opportunity to press a case for selection comes in the autumn Tests, and with the Lions opponents, South Africa, visiting Murrayfield, it should be a great occasion. I get the feeling the Scots might fancy their chances of pulling a surprise in this game.

Whilst a good game at international level is sure to put your name in the frame for the Lions, you can't under-estimate the natural progression from club form. If players can start performing week in week out at Heineken Cup level, then internationally things will start to happen. Furthermore, the level of club rugby nowadays is so high that there is more chance of players making that jump into the Lions squad.

I remember well the mindset I had at the start of the Lions season. It may be a long haul before the plane leaves for South Africa, but the key is to start playing your way into form ahead of the critical period around Christmas and into the Six Nations – that's when the decisions really start to be made.

One player that I think it is well worth keeping an eye on this season is Edinburgh's Nick De Luca. He is an exciting prospect who really impressed last year and hopefully with a little bit of hard work and another season under his belt, he can become a real top-level player. I'm looking forward to seeing how he progresses this year and whether he can build on his performances over the last 12 months.

For Edinburgh and Glasgow, I think their home games in the Heineken Cup and Magners League are critical – I would really like to see them take that extra step forward and start making the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup, although neither got off to the best of starts.

I don't think clubs expect an easy game at Firhill or Murrayfield, and hopefully the Scottish clubs can be a little more competitive away from home and start to nick a few more matches.

Whatever happens between now and May 2009 and the start of the Lions tour, it is sure to be a fascinating period watching the fortunes of players fluctuate. I hope we will have a strong contingent of Scotsmen in Ian McGeechan's final Lions squad.

• Gavin Hastings is an HSBC ambassador. HSBC is the principle partner of the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 2009. For more information, go to www.lionsrugby.com

PROFILE

GAVIN Hastings became a British and Irish Lion in 1989 at the age of 27, when the touring party visited Australia for the first time since 1971. The Scotland full-back was picked for the first Test match in Sydney, which saw the Lions suffer a comprehensive 30-12 defeat and saw the captain Finlay Calder come under fierce criticism.

However, Calder and Hastings were back for the second Test in Brisbane, where the Lions levelled the series with a 19-12 victory, and one week later, Calder and Hastings were again in the mix as the Lions did it again in Sydney, a 19-18 victory clinching the series when all had seemed lost after the first Test.

By the time the Lions next toured, the captaincy was billed as a head-to-head battle between Hastings and his English rival Will Carling, but there was little surprise when Hastings landed the honour of leading the tourists to New Zealand. The Lions' coach was Ian McGeechan, who will be at the helm again for next year's tour of South Africa.

Once again, the outcome of the series came down to the third and final Test.

The Lions lost the first Test 20-18 in Christchurch but won the second 20-7 in Wellington to level the series. In the deciding match in Auckland, New Zealand sealed the series with a comprehensive 30-13 win.

By the time the Lions toured again in 1997, Hastings had retired from rugby, playing his last game for Scotland against New Zealand in the quarter-finals of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.