Edinburgh's Mark Robertson eyes cup glory as he travels from Malta for matches

MARK Robertson is certainly doing his best if he wants to help the Edinburgh Eagles rewrite the record books.

For the wingers he comes in from where he works in Malta for matches.

Today the Scottish side will attempt to reach the third round of the Challenge Cup after reaching the second round for the first time since 2010.

But should they stun amateur giants Castleford Lock Lane, Robertson will have no time to celebrate. He has to work on Monday morning in Gzira, about 2600 kilometers away!

“I couldn't get time off yesterday, so I flew home at 9.30pm last night,” says the 28-year-old business account manager for Northern Gas and Power.

“I'm traveling from Edinburgh this morning and flying from Manchester tomorrow to return to work in Malta on Monday.

“It's a bit of a tough weekend, quite tough, and it can be quite tiring at times. My union team in Malta trains on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I go to the gym most mornings before work.

“I fly over there and play matches on Saturdays and I spoke to our captain before the first round and said I wanted to be part of it.

“I miss the training side, but it's about trying to keep up with the rest. It's definitely worth it, especially after the first round win.

“It was the same after that too. I didn't get a chance to celebrate!”

Robertson's talents have gained international recognition with two caps for Malta, which he qualifies for through his grandmother, to match the cap he has for the Mediterranean island in rugby union.

But if it weren't for social media, he might never have been anywhere near the 13-on-1 game.

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He added: “I have been at Union all my life and played for the West of Scotland team in Glasgow but started playing there in the League three or four years ago before ending up at the Edinburgh Eagles.

“It was actually through Facebook that I found it. I saw it advertised and it was the union's off-season. I came back from a calf injury and needed some extra fitness this summer.

“I started training and really enjoyed it. It's a different pace compared to Union and a lot of the good things in that game you get more of in the league.

“Before I played it I had only seen it on TV and physically I find it much more difficult to work as a player.”

Edinburgh head to Lock Lane on the back of a memorable 28-22 first round win over Cumbrians Lowca – once again Robertson had no chance to celebrate.

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But it is a small step towards a country full of rugby legends producing competitive talent. Hull KR's Sam Luckley and Warrington's Matty Russell are the only Scottish-born players in the Super League.

And making the sport bigger north of the border is hugely on Robertson's agenda, as he told SunSport: “The sport isn't big at all in Scotland and this is an opportunity for that. Players from other clubs have even contributed to the training sessions to add that bit of competition.

“There is no pressure on us, we were also underdogs in the first round, but this is an opportunity to show that there is talent in Scotland.

“The competitive scene is getting bigger and the federation is looking to bring back the Scotland A team and get more of a platform for the club game.”