Breakthrough Scottish rugby star David Denton admits Edinburgh Rugby’s march to the Heineken Cup semi finals tops his Six Nations debut.

The towering number eight picked up a nomination for the player of the year in the Six Nations, despite Scotland being whitewashed in a disastrous campaign.

The Zimbabwe-born 22-year-old turned heads with his powerful displays and he has replicated that form in the Edinburgh side, which faces Ulster in the Heineken Cup semi finals on Saturday.

Denton said that while the capital team’s performances in the RaboDirect Pro12 league have not been up to scratch, the cup specialists stand a great chance in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

He said: “I was really happy to be nominated for player of the year in my first Six Nations tournament but there is something special about being involved in a team that’s gone further in the cup than it ever has before.

“Achieving success with a group of guys is incredible and it’s the first time I’ve ever experienced it in this way and I’m really enjoying it.

“We’ve got some great players at Edinburgh, we’ve got a lot of talent, but quite often we haven’t used that to the best of our ability. I think you can see that in the Rabo where we’re disappointed at where we are, but in the Heineken Cup we have really shown what we can do.”

Experienced back Nick De Luca believes it does not get bigger in club rugby than the semi final showdown – except getting the the final on May 19 itself.

The 28-year-old is expected to line up at centre on Saturday, and said Edinburgh want to continue showing the world how far Scottish rugby is progressing.

De Luca said: “It is up there with the biggest games I have ever played. I’ve been involved with Scotland for a while now and we’ve had individual big wins and a tour win in Argentina but for going for silverware this is as big as it gets. I can’t wait.

“We’ve been competitive in Scottish rugby for a number of years but never really put ourselves out there. Now, with Glasgow doing well in the Rabo and us doing well in the Heineken Cup, it really is showing how we’re progressing.

“It is a huge game for us this weekend and we’re just desperate to get out there and show what we’re worth.”