Ollie Leatherbarrow revealed he’s been hoping for a Scotland call-up for several years now after being named as the only uncapped player in Gregor Townsend’s squad for the Nations Championship.

The Newcastle Red Bulls back-rower has been preferred ahead of the likes of Edinburgh pair Magnus Bradbury and Freddie Douglas after previously turning out for the Scotland under-16 and under-20 selects.

The 24-year-old, who was born in Macclesfield and qualifies via a grandmother from Perth, has set his sights on earning a first cap in one of the forthcoming Tests against New Zealand, Australia, Japan or the finals match in London.

He said: ‘I’ve spent a long time watching a fair few of the guys I’m training with so it’s pretty surreal. But I’m excited to rip in and learn from everyone and take the opportunity with both hands.

‘I had a Zoom call on Wednesday with the coaches, just talking through my game this season, where they think I’m at and what I think I’m working on and what my strengths are.

‘And at the end of that call they just let me know that I’d be selected so I’m absolutely delighted. This has been my long-term goal for a long while now. When you’re playing for your club and you feel like you’re playing well, then obviously you’re always looking to get that national call up.

‘I want to win my first cap and I want to be part of the team that goes three from three in the autumn. We spoke about it in the first few meetings yesterday that we want to go for that top play-off final.’

Leatherbarrow, who has started just once for Newcastle this season, admits he has been eagerly hoping to make the step up to the senior squad once his time with the under-20s came to an end.

‘Coming out of the under-20s, I probably had a bit more to learn than I thought,’ he added. ‘This year, with all the new signings at the start of pre-season, I didn’t just want to sit back and accept that there’s going to be a new signing ahead of me.

‘I’d like to think I competed pretty well in pre-season and then, going into the season, I’ve been involved in every game. Of course, when you’re trying to put out good performances, the end goal is always to be here.

‘I spoke to Gregor in the summer and he said that I’d had a good year and I was close but just wanted to see a little bit more from me. That was the first time I’d had a conversation around the full national set-up.

‘So that’s what spurred me on in pre-season, knowing that if I have a good pre-season in a competitive Newcastle team, then the sky’s the limit, really. I’m massively proud to represent Scotland.’

Townsend has a direct link to Newcastle via his part-time consultancy role with Red Bull but Leatherbarrow insists that connection didn’t influence his selection. But he did speak to team-mates Elliot Millar Mills and Chris Harris about what to expect.

‘I think that relationship is more with the coaches,’ said Leatherbarrow. ‘He doesn’t have anything to do with the players. I’d say maybe once a month I’ll see him in person and say hello, but he wouldn’t talk to me about my game there, no.

‘But Elliot kept me right, to be fair. He just explained what the lads are like and just said how much of a welcoming group it is. To be fair, he’s right. You’d expect players of this calibre to have a bit of an ego about them, but everyone’s been so welcoming and made me feel comfortable.

‘And Chris Harris, he’s great. He’s got so much experience and didn’t develop until a bit later as well. So I’ve taken from him that the door’s not shut if you’re not capped by 22 or 23. Both of them have been really helpful.’