A SCHOOLBOY whose rugby career was cut short after being diagnosed with a rare condition got the chance to coach his heroes.

Ollie McMillan met the Scotland squad before they jetted out to their tour of the Americas.

Ten-year-old Ollie was a keen rugby player but had to stop after being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome – a disorder of the body’s connective tissues.

Having started out at Rugby Tots aged three, and then on to Stew Mel Lions and North Berwick minis, Ollie decided that his situation wasn’t going to get in the way of his love for the game.

As well as helping the coaching set-up for youngsters at his hometown club of North Berwick, Ollie has taken a liking to team management.

On visiting Oriam in Edinburgh, Scottish Rugby’s training HQ, to meet some of his heroes, the youngster was tasked with ensuring that scrums were on point.

With whistle in hand, Ollie, who lives in North Berwick, presided over scrums in front of scrum coach, Pieter de Villiers, before chatting with attack and contact coach Pete Horne, as well as Steven Tandy and John Dalziel, defence and forwards coach respectively, and specialist skills coach Chris Paterson.

Ollie McMillan chatting all things rugby with Pete Horne on the way to training. Image: Scottish Rugby

He said: “I loved spending time learning from the coaches, using the drones, catching the high kicks-offs and getting to boss the big guys at scrum time. I know I want to be a coach like Gregor, Steve, Peter, Pieter and Mossy [Paterson]. I can’t wait for our season to start again. I may miss playing, but still get a buzz from being involved with the club.”

And the youngster, who attends Law Primary School, got to meet and even offer some insight to head coach Gregor Townsend on how he thought Scotland’s training session was going – a clear sign that a future in the off-field part of the game is something he aspires to.

On his experience at the forefront of the national team, Ollie said: “I think it’s given me a few ideas for North Berwick to help [them] win a few more trophies!”

Ollie continues to inspire with his fundraising efforts, having already raised about £6,900 by taking on the Three Peaks Challenge by climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon.

Go to justgiving.com/page/oliver-mcmillan-marfan to donate.