Tim Visser

Tim Visser (born 29 May 1987 in Zeewolde) is a Dutch-born Scottish rugby union player currently playing on the wing for Harlequins and internationally representing Scotland. He is the first Dutch rugby player to play professionally.

Visser joined the Newcastle Falcons Academy as a teenager, after having been spotted playing in the Amsterdam Sevens. Moving from the Netherlands – where he played for RC Hilversum – to England he joined Barnard Castle School and went on to represent England Schools at under-18 level in 2005.

Having signed a two-year contract with Newcastle in April 2007, he started the 2007–08 season on loan with the recently relegated Northampton Saints.

Visser made his competitive debut in the Guinness Premiership on 8 September 2006 against Worcester, coming on as a substitute and grabbing the winning try. He played a further 10 games for the Falcons in his first season, scoring four tries in total, before finishing the season on loan to Darlington Mowden Park, a National Division Three club.

The 2008–09 season saw Visser add another five tries to his tally with Newcastle in 21 appearances, but at the end of the season he chose to sign for the Magners League outfit Edinburgh.

Visser was the top try scorer in the Pro 12 league in each of his first four seasons for Edinburgh since joining in 2009–10.

In his first season in the Scottish capital Visser became top scorer in the Magners League with 10 tries, winning the Young Player of the Season Award and being named in the Magners League Dream Team. In the 2010–11 season Visser once again became top try scorer of the Magners League with 14 tries in total. He was again included in the Magners League Dream Team. Visser finished the 2011–12 Pro12 season with 13 tries, again becoming the league's top try scorer. With Edinburgh, Visser also reached the semi-finals of the 2011–12 Heineken Cup, scoring four tries in total during the competition, obtaining his third successive inclusion to the RaboDirect Pro12 Dream Team. In addition he was voted the Player's Player of the Season.

In March 2015 it was announced that Visser would move on from Murrayfield at the end of the season to join Harlequins.

On 29 May 2011, Visser made his debut for the Barbarians against England. Visser scored two tries, including a last effort try which saw the Barbarians snatch away the victory from England at Twickenham. It was his birthday.

Visser was eligible to play for the Netherlands, but opted not to do so to become eligible to play Test rugby for one of the Home Nations. IRB eligibility rules state that a player may play for the senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team of the Union of the country in which he has completed 36 consecutive months of residence. Visser stated in 2011 that he wished to play for Scotland when he would become eligible in June 2012. Scotland coach Andy Robinson named Visser to the 28-player squad for Scotland's tour of Oceania in June 2012. He completed his three years of residency on 12 June and thus was not available for the match in Australia on 5 June, but was available for their two remaining tests against Fiji and Samoa.

Visser made his Scotland debut against Fiji on 16 June and scored two tries in a 37–25 win. Visser made his debut on home soil in a match against New Zealand on 11 November 2012 during the Autumn Internationals. During this Murrayfield test debut he scored two tries against the world champion All Blacks.

Two tries in the defeat of Italy in August 2015 helped Visser clinch a place in the 31-man squad named for the 2015 Rugby World Cup by Vern Cotter.

• Magners League Dream Team 2009–10
• Magners League Dream Team 2010–11
• RaboDirect Pro12 Dream Team 2011–12
• Magners League Young Player of the Year 2009–10
• RaboDirect Pro12 Players' Player of the Year 2011–12
• Most tries scored by a player in one Celtic League/Magners League/Pro12 season – 14
• Record Edinburgh try scorer with 59 tries (in all competitions Guinness Pro12, Heineken Cup, and Challenge Cup)