Rising Cairns gets the two-year nod
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:21
After making his international Test debut with Scotland against Argentina last month, Ben Cairns is looking to continue his progress after recently signing a new two-year deal with Edinburgh.
After helping Andy Robinson's men to finish fourth in the Magners League last season, centre Cairns became the 17th Scotland international on Edinburgh's books when he made his Scotland bow against Argentina last month.
The 22-year-old has been subsequently rewarded with a new contract that will keep him in the Scottish capital until 2010; a fact that he is delighted about.
"It's great to have signed the new deal. Edinburgh is my home city and I've lived here for pretty much my whole life," Cairns told the Magners League official site.
"Last season was a great experience and the future is looking really good with so many young guys coming through. It is great to be able to play week in, week out with my mates."
Looking back at his first taste of international rugby, Cairns learnt a huge amount and believes he handled the challenge.
"During the first Test I was just focused on making sure I didn't make any errors and to not look out of my depth. I was pretty happy with how it all went, although I was disappointed with the result.
"Then I knew I had to go forward from there and the second Test was awesome. We started really well and took the game to them; I got a lot more ball and made a few breaks which helped my confidence."
After experiencing such a breakthrough campaign last year, Cairns acknowledges he will have to work even harder to maintain his performance levels in the coming season.
"I'm looking to carry on the form I managed last season into the new campaign. There is so much competition for places in the team and that has increased with Mossy [Chris Paterson] coming on board as well, so I will need to play well to keep my place.
"My first objective is to play well for Edinburgh and then after that I'll be looking towards making an impact for Scotland during the Autumn Tests and Six Nations," Cairns added.
Head coach Robinson welcomed the news, but believes Cairns can still make improvements to his game.
"Ben has a good season last year culminating in his Test debut for Scotland," said Robinson.
"But it is important he continues to make improvements and that is why he has been given a two-year deal," he added.
