Nick De Luca
Encyclopedia
Nick De Luca is a Scottish internationalist professional rugby union
player. He currently plays club rugby for Edinburgh Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12.
At club level De Luca began as an apprentice with Edinburgh in 2005 before joining Border Reivers
for the 2006–07 season. Following the region's dissolution in 2007 he returned to Edinburgh. De Luca's debut season was marked by memorable try against Toulouse in the Heineken Cup
where he stood up the famed Yannick Jauzion
to touch down, and he also contributed a spellbinding effort during the dramatic win at Ospreys later on that year.
squads for the 2006 and 2007 Churchill Cup
tournaments in Canada
and England
respectively. A former Scotland Sevens
internationalist, De Luca is the joint all-time leading try scorer for the Scotland under-21 team. He shares this honour with Ben Cairns
.
Having already represented Scotland at all age-grade levels as well as 'A' level, De Luca was called up to the Scotland
squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship
. He made his debut for Scotland against France
in the first game of the 2008 Six Nations Championship
. De Luca held on to his position for the following game against Wales
. He had a difficult introduction to international rugby as he struggled throughout the 2008 RBS 6 Nations as part of an under-used and ineffective Scottish backline from which he has done well to recover.
De Luca was part of the Scotland team that recorded a historic series victory in Argentina
in June 2010, starting at outside centre in the first test victory in Tucuman
.
His first international try was on 19 March 2011 in the 2011 Six Nations Championship
match against Italy
at Murrayfield
, the first Scotland try at the stadium since November 2009.
De Luca started for Scotland in the 2011 Rugby World Cup
games against Georgia
and Argentina
. He displaced Joe Ansbro
who had started in the first game for Scotland against Romania
. In the next game, a decider against England
, De Luca joined the game as a second half substitute for the injured Max Evans
.
reaching the 2008 Scottish Cup Final
against the odds after recording a shock 4–3 semi final win over Aberdeen
. De Luca said: “Although I’m not a big football fan, it was really pleasing to see Queen of the South reach the Scottish Cup Final: that type of result is what sport is all about."
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player. He currently plays club rugby for Edinburgh Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12.
Club rugby
De Luca's position of choice is as a Centre. He can also operate at Full-back and Wing. In his early career he caught the eye with his notable 'outside breaks', opening up defences and creating chances. His creative play has been noted for deceptive strength, slick handling and quick foot work.At club level De Luca began as an apprentice with Edinburgh in 2005 before joining Border Reivers
Border Reivers (Rugby)
Border Reivers, originally known as 'Scottish Borders Rugby' and also known as 'The Borders' were one of four professional rugby union teams in Scotland, alongside Edinburgh, Caledonia Reds and Glasgow Warriors....
for the 2006–07 season. Following the region's dissolution in 2007 he returned to Edinburgh. De Luca's debut season was marked by memorable try against Toulouse in the Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
where he stood up the famed Yannick Jauzion
Yannick Jauzion
Yannick Jauzion is a French rugby union footballer. He plays at centre for Stade Toulousain and the French national team....
to touch down, and he also contributed a spellbinding effort during the dramatic win at Ospreys later on that year.
International
De Luca was a member of the Scotland AScotland A national rugby union team
The Scotland A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Scottish national side.-History:Scotland's status as one of the leading rugby nations in the Northern Hemisphere, made the SRU to field a second team, first known as Scotland XV, and currently as Scotland A, which can play at...
squads for the 2006 and 2007 Churchill Cup
Churchill Cup
The Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams from a wide array of countries....
tournaments in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
respectively. A former Scotland Sevens
Scotland national rugby union team (sevens)
The Scottish national rugby union sevens team compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.During 2006, the side were in danger of no longer competing in the Sevens World Series due to the financial problems faced by the Scottish Rugby Union...
internationalist, De Luca is the joint all-time leading try scorer for the Scotland under-21 team. He shares this honour with Ben Cairns
Ben Cairns
Ben Cairns is an English-born Scotland rugby union player for Edinburgh Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12.Cairns' position of choice is as a Centre and he can also operate at Full-back and on the Wing. He won his First Cap for Scotland inRosario against Argentina and then won his Second in Buenos...
.
Having already represented Scotland at all age-grade levels as well as 'A' level, De Luca was called up to the Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
. He made his debut for Scotland against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in the first game of the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
. De Luca held on to his position for the following game against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
. He had a difficult introduction to international rugby as he struggled throughout the 2008 RBS 6 Nations as part of an under-used and ineffective Scottish backline from which he has done well to recover.
De Luca was part of the Scotland team that recorded a historic series victory in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in June 2010, starting at outside centre in the first test victory in Tucuman
Tucumán
San Miguel de Tucumán is the capital of the Tucumán Province, located in northern Argentina at from Buenos Aires. It is the fifth biggest city of Argentina after Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario and Mendoza, and it is also the most important city of Northern Argentina...
.
His first international try was on 19 March 2011 in the 2011 Six Nations Championship
2011 Six Nations Championship
The 2011 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2011 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 12th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy,...
match against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
, the first Scotland try at the stadium since November 2009.
De Luca started for Scotland in the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
games against Georgia
Georgia national rugby union team
The Georgia national rugby union team represents Georgia in rugby union. The team's nickname, The Lelos, comes from lelo burti, a traditional Georgian sport with strong similarities to rugby. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for "try"...
and Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
. He displaced Joe Ansbro
Joe Ansbro
Joe Ansbro is a Scottish international professional rugby union player. He is the first player of Afro-Caribbean origin to represent Scotland at test level in history. His favoured position is centre. He is currently playing for London Irish. -Early years:Ansbro was born in Glasgow and raised near...
who had started in the first game for Scotland against Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
. In the next game, a decider against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
, De Luca joined the game as a second half substitute for the injured Max Evans
Max Evans
Maxwell "Max" Evans is a fictional character created by Melinda Metz for the young adults book series Roswell High and adapted by Jason Katims for the 1999-2002 American science fiction television series Roswell...
.
Away from rugby
Dumfries-born De Luca applauded the heroics of his local football team Queen of the SouthQueen of the South F.C.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...
reaching the 2008 Scottish Cup Final
2008 Scottish Cup Final
The 2008 Scottish Cup Final was a football match which took place at Hampden Park in Glasgow on 24 May 2008. The match was the final of the 123rd Scottish Cup and was contested by Queen of the South and Rangers. Queen of the South beat Aberdeen 4–3 in their semi-final, Rangers beat St...
against the odds after recording a shock 4–3 semi final win over Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
. De Luca said: “Although I’m not a big football fan, it was really pleasing to see Queen of the South reach the Scottish Cup Final: that type of result is what sport is all about."