A broken arm isn’t ideal when you’re job involves you carrying an egg-shaped ball as far up the pitch as possible and it definitely isn’t want you want in a World Cup year when you’re trying to make the breakthrough for your national team.

Born in England to a mother with a Glaswegian background and a Nigerian father, Andy Christie was only ever going to play for one national team if given the opportunity and it was always going to be Scotland. He was capped at U16 level before then playing U18 and U20 for England – something he says there wasn’t much choice in given he was coming through at Saracens.

So when his broken radius bone kept him out of contention for the World Cup in France last year it was a frustrating one for him with the injury taking a lot longer to heal than originally hoped. Three operations were required to get him back playing and he’s been a regular for Saracens with 13 games on the bounce and is hoping he can get a run of games for Scotland in the back row.

There’s a lot of competition for places in his position but Christie is a confident man and the 24-year-old is keen to add to his four caps for Scotland. Gregor Townsend will have a decision to make next week before the opening game against Wales in the Six Nations and Christie is just hoping he can put his hand up for selection.

He said: “I got injured before the World Cup. The hope was I would be fit in time but it didn't work out that way unfortunately, so I just had to sit at home and watch. I broke my radius (large bone in forearm) and I've got the scars to show for it. It took three operations and I was out for almost seven months which was tough, because it was only supposed to be three months at a push, so it was a tough, tough time. But it feels fine now. I play with a little pad on it and off I go.

“I watched the games. It was obviously tough at times, I felt the same disappointment that any fan would have felt and the boys felt. I was proud of their efforts and how they conducted themselves, but it was always going to be tough ask. We probably feel we didn't show the best of ourselves.

“This is probably as consistent as I have been. I think I’ve played 13 games in a row, so I've been lucky with that. Other guys around me have been unfortunate, so I've just been trying to take my opportunity.

“All I can do is put myself in the best position I can by playing well, which I plan on doing and training as hard as I can.

 “Luke (Crosbie) is a fantastic player then you've got Jamie (Bhatti), (Rory) Darge, Matt (Fagerson), Demmo (Jack Dempsey), (Josh) Bayliss… and then the boys who are not here like Mish (Hamish Watson), who’s a phenomenal player. We just have to do what we can, play as well as we can and train as hard as we can and leave it up to the coaches.” 

Veteran former Scotland wing Sean Maitland is a teammate of Christie’s at Saracens and Christie has been speaking to him about life in the camp and expects to get more advice from him as he admits he’s a good ear to have.

He added: “I've got Sean Maitland back home at Saracens as well. He was brilliant with me when I first came in, so I'll go back and see him tomorrow and catch him up with everything that has happened. 

“I like the energy and vibe in the squad. Everyone is always very friendly and happy to see you and there are a few big personalities who stand out.

“I've been very close with Ben White because we came to the first camp together on the same journey, so he's someone I keep in touch with. His journey has been quite interesting the last couple of months, going off to Toulon. There are a few boys I stay in touch with but as things die down and you go back to your clubs, a lot of them play with each other so they're constantly in touch.

“Gregor will probably tell you I've been on his radar for a long time. I played Scotland Under-16s and since that day I've obviously felt a connection. My mum's side of the family are Scottish and they've always told me they wanted me to play for Scotland. My dad's Nigerian so probably not too fussed! But it is a dream come true whenever I've had the opportunity to play for Scotland.”