Australian rugby player with same name as JK Rowling hero who is also nicknamed ‘The Wizard’ will battle Scotland in the city where legendary books were written

Australian rugby player Harry Potter will debut for his national team in Edinburgh on Sunday – the city where JK Rowling wrote most of the books about his namesake.

The Wallabies face Scotland in the third game of their end-of-season European tour, before travelling to Dublin for a Test against Ireland, where Joe Schmidt‘s side hope to land Australia their first Grand Slam since 1984.

They were victorious in the opening game 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 due to injury this season, his stellar performances for Western Force on their recent South Africa tour caught Schmidt’s eye and earned Potter an unexpected first call-up.

Nicknamed ‘Wizard’ by a team-mate, the 26-year-old embraces the inevitable puns surrounding his name, even challenging journalists to surprise him with new ones.

‘It’s a good challenge for journalists to see if they can think of a unique or original Harry Potter pun,’ Potter said.

‘It’s been 26 years of it, so it’s pretty funny, I reckon. And yeah, tip my hat if you think of something original.’

The winger moved from London to Melbourne at 10 years old and, despite emigrating back to England to play three seasons at Leicester Tigers, has no doubts as to where his loyalties lie.

Potter will become the 18th player to make his debut for Australia in 2024, as they look to end the year on a strong note. 

‘I was [in Australia] for school,’ he said.

‘I watched the Wallabies play from Year 7 right up until now and I heartily feel like I was here for a more influential part of my life. 

‘I’m speaking with a more Aussie than English accent, which doesn’t make you feel too English to be honest.

‘It’s a pleasure to be with the Wallabies and certainly I feel very Australian.’