Football was never in the picture! There was always a rugby ball in the garden. I was fortunate to have a brother, so we played with the rugby ball every day. Rugby was kind of imposed on me at an early age, so I didn’t really have a choice, but I grew to love the game!
What position did you end up playing?
I’m a wing fullback, part of the back three. The guy who scores tries on the wing, that’s me.
Did your dad ever suggest, “Come on, we need you in the center”?
I don’t think I was big enough for the center, to be honest. If my dad were playing now, he might also be a wing as he wouldn’t be big enough for center either. I’m quite content in the back three.
What level did you reach in school, and where are you in your rugby journey now?
Back in Scotland, I played age-grade Scottish rugby. After that, I moved to Sydney where I’ve been playing for Eastern Suburbs. The goal is to keep progressing and see where my performance takes me.
So, let’s dive into the topic of night lenses and eyesight. When did you start noticing your nearsightedness? When did glasses come into the picture?
Around 14 or 15, I realized my eyesight wasn’t as sharp as I’d hoped, and I thought I might need glasses. I tried them for a bit, wore them at school to see the whiteboard from a distance, but I wasn’t a fan of glasses, and they didn’t work well for sports.
How did your friends react when you showed up at school with glasses?
Oh yeah, I got quite a bit of teasing for wearing them! Some people just don’t look good in glasses, and I’m one of those people.
During your rugby progression, did you notice your eyesight affecting your performance on the pitch?
Definitely, especially playing in the back three at a high level. There’s a lot of high ball catching and scanning the whole pitch. As you move up in level, those small differences start to matter even more.
As a fullback, going for the high ball in rainy and muddy Scottish conditions, and at times, darkness—did night lenses make rugby easier?
Exactly, it’s going to be dark as well!
So, wearing night lenses, did you find rugby easier?
My eyesight wasn’t terrible, so I could manage without night lenses. However, once I started wearing them, the difference was immense. At that point, I only had to use them about once a week, and they covered me for the entire week. As a somewhat lazy teenager, that was ideal.
Have you noticed improvements in other sports you play with your night lenses?
Absolutely. The most noticeable difference was in family tennis. Without night lenses, everything felt half a second too slow to react to—a fuzzy green thing flying at me. But with night lenses, I definitely improved my ball hitting. I wasn’t Nadal, but there was a clear improvement.
Knowing your dad’s competitiveness, I can picture him serving at full force. Was it a no-quarter-given approach in the Lineen household?
No mercy in the Lineen household! Back in the day, it used to be my brother and me against my mom and dad. But now, it’s my mom and me against my dad and my brother, and they tend to target my mom. No mercy! My dad still serves at 100%. He uses drop shots and lobs against her 😊.
I can imagine! So, would you recommend night lenses to young rugby players, or any rugby players, and why?
Absolutely, I’d recommend them! They’re so convenient. You don’t have to deal with the hassle. I’ve seen players on the field dealing with their lenses, poking their fingers into their eyes. That’s not something you want to worry about during a game. Night lenses make a huge difference, and they’re simple to use.
We chatted earlier about a rugby player caught on camera fiddling with his lenses for minutes during a game. The last thing you want is to deal with a lens issue while performing at any level. Night lenses solve that problem, which is why they’re considered a game-changer for shortsighted athletes. Have they been a game-changer in your life?
I would say so. If I didn’t wear night lenses and had to deal with glasses and day lenses, it would be a different story. I can’t even imagine what that would be like. I’ve grown so accustomed to night lenses that I don’t even think of myself as a person who wears lenses. I put them in at night and take them out in the morning—it’s that simple.
Long-term night lens wearers often say they don’t feel like they have an eyesight problem anymore because they don’t have to constantly think about their glasses or day lenses…
Exactly! During the day, you don’t have to worry about any of this. It becomes second nature, just part of your 30-second morning and evening routine.
Thank you so much for this interview. Enjoy your time in Sydney! Best of luck with your rugby journey—we look forward to seeing your progress.