THE phrase “one-hit wonder” conjures up some disturbing memories of old Top of the Pops performances. The Goombay Dance Band and Seven Tears. Joe Dolce and Shaddap You Face. Those Ketchup people and their Ketchup Song.
No wonder, then, that Kyle Steyn wants to escape from the category as soon as possible. When the Glasgow winger made his Scotland debut in the win against France in March 2020, he seemed set to become a regular in Gregor Townsend’s side. But then two serious hamstring injuries put him out of action for more than a year, meaning only now, following a successful return to the Warriors ranks, is he again ready to contend for national honours.
As Sunday’s match against England at Welford Road is just an ‘A’ international it will not give the 27-year-old the second cap he craves, but he knows that a strong performance there will put him in line to be picked for next month’s Tests against Romania and Georgia. And in any case, having only recently made his comeback, he is eager to play in all three matches of the summer series.
“Nobody wants to be a one-hit wonder, and that’s kind of stuck with me way longer than I wanted it to,” Steyn said earlier this week. “It will be a really strong game against England A. Obviously that won’t count as a cap, but hopefully going forward I’ll push on and be able to pull the thistle on against Romania and Georgia and get off the mark - or get past that one.”
In common with anyone returning from a long-term injury, Steyn felt a degree of apprehension on his return to action. But he insists that feeling has gone, and that he is now fully ready to resume where he left off 15 months ago.
“When I started training I found I was hypersensitive when I got any stiffness or strain in my muscles,” he explained. “It was a process of working through those first few weeks, and once I got back playing and my mind was on the ball and on the game again, to be honest I forgot about it.
“I’m feeling fresh. We had a week off with Glasgow [after the last Rainbow Cup match] then came in and didn’t feel too fresh at the beginning of last week, but we ran the cobwebs off and it’s good to get into it. The work we’ve done puts us in a pretty good place, and we’re really excited to be able to contribute to the summer tour.”
Interim head coach Mike Blair will announce his team for the ‘A’ international this afternoon[Friday].
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