- Harry Potter will make his debut for the Australian rugby team in Edinburgh against Scotland
- JK Rowling wrote most of the books in her world-famous series in this city
- The 26-year-old winger was born six months after the first book came out
Australian rugby player Harry Potter will make his debut for his national team on Sunday in Edinburgh – the city where JK Rowling wrote most of the books about his namesake.
The Wallabies take on Scotland in the third match of their end-of-season European tour before traveling to Dublin for a test against Ireland, where Joe Schmidt’s side will hope to give Australia their first Grand Slam since 1984.
They won the opening match of their November tour, beating England 42-37 at Twickenham.
Potter was born in December 1997, six months after Rowling released ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ – the first of seven books in the series.
After missing six months of this season due to injury, his stellar performances for Western Force on their recent tour of South Africa caught Schmidt’s attention and earned Potter an unexpected first call-up.
The 26-year-old, nicknamed ‘Wizard’ by a teammate, embraces the inevitable puns surrounding his name and even challenges journalists to surprise him with new ones.
Harry Potter was born six months after JK Rowling released the first book in her famous series
The 26-year-old is making his debut for Australia despite living in England for the first ten years of his life
The Wallabies want to win their first Grand Slam since 1984 against Ireland next week
“It’s a good challenge for journalists to see if they can come up with a unique or original Harry Potter pun,” Potter said.
“It’s been 26 years, so it’s kind of funny, I guess. And yes, tip my hat if you come up with something original.’
The winger moved from London to Melbourne at the age of ten and despite emigrating back to England to play three seasons with Leicester Tigers, he has no doubts where his loyalties lie.
Potter will become the 18th player to make his debut for Australia in 2024 as they look to end 2024 on a strong note.
‘That was me [in Australia] for school,” he said.
“I’ve watched the Wallabies play from year 7 until now and I really feel like I was here for a more influential part of my life.
‘I speak more of an Aussie accent than an English one, which honestly doesn’t make you feel too English.
“It’s a pleasure to be with the Wallabies and I certainly feel very Australian.”