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Alumni News
Jonny Petrie Class of 1994 Former Pupil and former Managing Director of Edinburgh Rugby, Jonny Petrie, sat down for a telephone interview earlier on in the summer with Editor, Chloe Berridge. Prior to progressing to management level, Jonny was a Professional Rugby Player for the Scottish Rugby Union for 10 years and was a Captain at both Club and International level. Since stepping down from his post as MD at Edinburgh Rugby, Jonny has relocated to Northern Ireland to take up a new role as CEO of Ulster Rugby.
Starting Out – School Days
Professional Debut
Thank you for making the time for this interview today Jonny. I wonder if you could start by telling us about how you became interested in rugby?
You began your career playing for Glasgow Warriors, what was that like as your very first professional sports role?
I probably first started playing through mini rugby at Panmure Rugby Club and then I played my very first game in Broughty Ferry. Once it became an option to play at the School, which I think was roughly around P4 or P5, I started to get involved with the sport properly. I wouldn’t say I excelled massively to begin with, but I played in various teams right the way through to S6. Overall, I have very positive memories of rugby and it was certainly a large part of my school career. The teachers who coach you always have a big impact on you during the formative stages of your sports career. Teachers like Sandy Hutchison and Graeme Spowart were my coaches to begin with and helped to shape me as a rugby player in the early days. Do you still keep in touch with any of your friends from school? A lot of the people I played rugby with at school, and also those in my year, I’m still very good friends with today. I’ve actually found out, very randomly, since moving to Belfast that just a 15 second walk from my front door there’s a girl who was in my year at school. Really quite strange! It was definitely an ‘are you kidding me’ moment. In only three words, how would you describe yourself at school? Sporty; decidedly average! Would you say your experiences and opportunities at the School helped shape you for your career? I certainly found in terms of the character building and the well-rounded nature of the education that a lot of good local people ended up at the School, meaning it was quite a grounded environment. It seems to turn out good people that you find pop up in all different kinds of places. I think from my own perspective, the School gives you a lot in terms of a good education, but it also prepares you for life in the real word and teaches you to be grounded and confident. It was absolutely a key part of the formative years of my personality and my professional career as well.
I initially went to St Andrews to study and spent a year abroad in France as part of that – kind of teaching English, but mostly playing rugby. I came back to Scotland and my chance at a professional rugby career started to appear on the horizon; I was developing as a player at this point and was filling out. Latterly, I had the difficult call to make between finishing my degree or accepting an offer for a professional contract. It was a huge decision to make but there was only ever really going to be one winner if it was a choice between education and rugby! It was an enormous privilege to be offered the contract, but that’s where the hard work really starts. It was certainly a tough couple of years, but I was lucky that that helped me to have such a long career in professional rugby. You then went on to make your International Scotland debut in a game against New Zealand. That must have been a surreal first experience playing for Scotland? Once I’d played my first full season starting regularly for Glasgow, it really took off from there. I got picked for the Scotland Tour in the summer of 2000, which was a huge privilege. The second test on that tour was the game against New Zealand and was definitely unexpected. It’s something that as a young boy and a rugby player you aspire to. I’d say it was a ‘dream come true’ moment in a way, even though that sounds a little cliché! I remember going to the Internationals to watch Scotland play with my mum and dad, and with school, so to have the boot on the other foot so to speak was surreal. What would you say are your biggest achievements from your professional rugby career? I suppose the one you always remember is your first cap. I remember being told I’d got my first cap whilst I was in New Zealand and I spent a good while figuring out when would be a reasonable time to call home. I think I woke my mum and dad up at about 4am in the morning! But they were delighted of course. It was nice to be able to make them proud and to be able to repay the faith that they had put in me. My mum also sent me a note after, I’ve actually got it here in front of me, she said she’d gone
