Waratah young gun Rob Horne has firmly cemented his position in the Waratah starting lineup. playing alongside guys more than 10 years his senior. The exciting young back talks about life as a 'Tah', playing in the gruelling Super 14 competition.

The Waratahs are currently in equal 5th position, having just slipped out of the top 4. How is the feeling within the camp?

Everyone is remaining positive and understands that we have it all ahead of us now. We know that we have a job to do in South Africa and we know that our season is directly hinging on how we perform against the big African teams.

So, you are injured for a few weeks at the moment.  Tell us about it?

Yeah, I got ‘snipered’ with a hamstring twinge against the Bulls and it’s killing me to watch from the sideline.  It’s the first time I’ve injured this hamstring, so it’s certainly frustrating.  I am aiming to return for the first game on the African tour in two weeks time.

You’ve established yourself this year as a regular starting player.  How have you found it?

It’s great being able to prepare ‘week in, week out’ knowing that you are in the staring team.  Also, it gives you confidence to go about your business without worrying when you’ll get on the field etc.

How often does the thought of Wallaby selection enter your head?

It is definitely a goal of mine to make the Wallaby squad.  In saying this, it’s not something that I think about all the time as I really need to focus on the task at hand each week.  It may sound clichéd, but you really do need to keep focus of the task from week to week.

Who has provided the greatest influence for you at the Tahs?

To single out one player, I would say Phil Waugh.  He is the absolute competitor and someone with which I am very privileged to play alongside.

It must feel bizarre playing alongside guys like Waughy who have been around for almost a decade and who you admired as a child.  I guess you would have been about 10 years old when Waughy started out at the Tahs.

[Laugh]  At first it was a case of ‘wow, I’m playing with these guys’, particularly with Timana (Tahu) inside me and Lote (Tuqiri) outside me. Now,  I just see these guys as I would any other regular team mate, and it is a pleasure to be playing with them and learning from them.   

You’ve drawn the tour of South Africa late in the season which could be very dangerous if the team isn’t well prepared.  How are the boys looking to approach this?

It’s a bit of a double edged sword with the bye this weekend.  On the negative, we will not be playing and therefore not getting any points for the round. Also, we would like to keep playing to keep continuity. On the positive side, we will be able to get refreshed both mentally and physically.  This will be important given the tough physical style that the South African boys play.

So, on a personal note, you grew up in the Shire (Sutherland Shire).  Is this correct?

Just outside the Shire in a place called Lugarno.  I distance myself from the ‘Shire’ tag as the boys to give it to me at training for being a Shire boy.

What do you do in your spare time?

I am studying part time Commerce at Sydney Uni. I deferred my study last year and found that I went a bit mad having rugby as my whole life.  I am happy being back into the studies this year and definitely find that it keeps my life more balanced.