Why Scotland rookie Cameron Redpath has been likened to Tim Horan

Cameron Redpath may have only won a single Scotland cap but the Bath centre is already being compared to Tim Horan, the double World Cup-winning Australian star. Like Redpath, Horan had to battle back from a serious knee injury in 1994 that sidelined him for a year, but he returned to continue a career that saw him win 80 caps for Australia and score 30 tries in an eleven-year Test career that included World Cup triumphs in 1991 and 1999.

Now Stuart Hooper, the Bath director of rugby who played alongside Horan during his period at Saracens, believes that the 22-year-old Redpath, who is pressing for selection against England at Murrayfield on Saturday, has the same attributes that made the Australian one of the outstanding players of his generation.

Hooper said: “When I first started playing as an 18-year-old at Saracens, I played with Tim Horan, the great Australian centre, and Cameron reminds me of him. Tim achieved a huge amount in the international jersey and Cameron has that same anticipation which gives the impression that he always has time on the ball. He has the anticipation of someone who has played the game for 15 years at the top level.

“Cameron is a great player with a huge future and at the moment he needs to keep playing and I would love that to be for Bath. He has been out for eight or nine months and the edge you get from playing is not there yet, but he is working hard. He is good enough to play and I will chat with Gregor (Townsend) to see what is happening with him this week.”

While Redpath, who won his only Scotland cap in the 11-6 Six Nations win over England last year, started his career with Sale in the Gallagher Premiership, he was always on Bath’s radar with Hooper having taken a close interest in the young centre while he was helping make Sedbergh, the most successful schools rugby team in England. 

“Cameron is a strong guy and I watched him through his schoolboy time and had been a fan of his for a long time. When we got the opportunity to bring him in we absolutely weren’t going to pass it up,” added Hooper, who watched Redpath help struggling Bath defeat reigning Premiership champions Harlequins last Friday night. 

“On top of that, he is a huge competitor and has a great ability to bring energy to a session, a team and a match. His rugby brain has developed no doubt through his dad (ex-Scotland captain Bryan) and his days of playing and Cameron being around training.”