Senter keen to kick on with Bravehearts

Correspondent

Scotland back Louis Senter did not realise that he had become the first player to represent Scotland at every level when he came off the bench in the win over Wales last week.

Senter’s emergence from the bench meant that he had represented Scotland at Under-16s, Under-18s, Student, A team and senior level.

“I didn’t know at the time that no one else had done it,” the 20 year-old from Belshill, near Glasgow, admitted. 

“Once I retire, it will be something I’ll look back on and think ‘it was good that I did that’. I got about half an hour which I was pleased with, and hopefully I can kick on from that and get a start sometime.

“When I came on, it was close at that point, we were only about ten points ahead, but we got a few tries and the nerves eased a bit.

“The ball didn’t come to me for about ten minutes and I was getting worried, with the weather being awful too. Luckily I caught the first one and was fine from then on.

“It was funny before the game when Steve was talking about the last Wales game, because I was a ball boy at that!

Danny Brough was playing when I was watching as a ball boy and now I’m playing alongside him.  It’s a bit surreal.”

Senter’s appearance against Wales was also his debut in senior rugby league. The former half-back, now a centre or winger, spent 2012 playing in Hull Kingston Rovers’ academy side.

Since then, he has moved to Championship outfit Halifax, where he has thrived in their Under-20s squad. He feels that the experience at Fax has stood him in good stead for further developing his career.

“It’s been a massive step up over the last year,” he said.

“I think being at Halifax has helped me a lot in getting my first appearance for Scotland, and being away from home, you mature a bit. 

“You become a bit more independent, you don’t have your parents around and have to cook your own meals every day.

“Playing in the Under-20s is good because you are playing against other teams that have experienced players in their teams. 

“The likes of Leigh and Featherstone have big squads, so their first team players are playing in the reserves. I think I have matured both on and off the field and I have really enjoyed it.”

Scotland travel to Dublin to face Ireland in week two of the European Championship this Saturday. The only change from their squad for the Wales game is that suspended prop Jonathan Walker is replaced by Gloucestershire All Golds forward Joe McLean.

Scotland squad:
Danny Addy (Bradford Bulls), Josh Barlow (Swinton Lions), Danny Brough (Huddersfield Giants), Lewis Clarke (Edinburgh Eagles), Sonny Esslemont (Hull KR), Ben Hellewell (Featherstone Rovers), Alex Hurst (Tweed Heads Seagulls), Ben Kavanagh (Widnes Vikings), Corbyn Kilday (Wakefield Trinity), Nathan Massey (Canterbury Bulldogs), Joe McLean (Uni of Gloucs All Golds), Finn Murphy (Edinburgh Eagles), Brett Phillips (Workington Town), Callum Phillips (Workington Town), Gregor Ramsay (Easterhouse Panthers), David Scott (Doncaster), Louis Senter (Halifax), Oscar Thomas (London Broncos), Adam Walker (Hull KR), Joe Wardle (Huddersfield Giants). Stand-by: Harvey Burnett (London Broncos).