THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS



Published Date: 31 January 2009
By David Ferguson
EUAN Murray will sit out Northampton's Guinness Premiership match this weekend in the hope that he may be fit for Scotland's opening RBS Six Nations Championship match with Wales, but the tighthead prop could be facing a race to make even the second game in France.
Murray popped a rib in the European Challenge Cup match with Toulon and took no part in the Scotland training sessions this week. He declined to comment on the injury yesterday and the SRU refused to rule him in or out of next week's Six Nations opener at this stage.

A spokesman said: "Euan has not trained this week and we are aware that he will not play for his club this weekend. He will be subject to further medical assessment next week. That's really all we can say at the moment."

Frank Hadden, the Scotland coach, had been upbeat on Wednesday about his injury list, believing it to be much less serious than that with which he entered last season's championship. Murray is just one player, but he is a big player in more ways than one.

He has become a strong cornerstone of the Scotland pack over the past year and, as the anchor in a front five growing in strength and confidence, played a key role in making the Scottish pack competitive with New Zealand and South Africa in November.

The Wales game is not until tomorrow week, but a popped rib and its associated ligament damage often needs more than a month to abate. Gavin Kerr is the most experienced possible replacement, but he is not in the squad, leaving uncapped duo Geoff Cross and Moray Low fighting for the No3 jersey with Alasdair Dickinson, a versatile prop with eight Test caps.

Murray was one of a handful of players who took little part in this week's three-day camp, which meant call-ups for Low and Johnnie Beattie of Glasgow, John Houston and Scott Newlands from Edinburgh and Ulster centre Rob Dewey.

Simon Taylor, the No8, was another casualty, suffering from a calf knock, but he has been named in Stade Francais' team to play Perpignan in a crucial Top 14 match this afternoon, which will not have been the news Hadden wished to hear.

The coach stated: "We had a good three days training, mainly at Myreside, but also at Spartans on the artificial surface. There is an inevitable element within professional rugby of managing injuries but we'll all be pleased if Scotland players having to play club matches outwith the country this weekend come through unscathed."

The SRU also confirmed yesterday that there will be no car parking at Murrayfield Stadium throughout the championship, due to work on the Edinburgh tram initiative and the Water of Leith flood prevention scheme, which also now includes coach and minibus parking.

Lothian and Borders Police are to open two new coach and minibus parks on a first-come-first-served basis. All drivers are advised to approach the area – no earlier than 12 noon – from the A8 Corstorphine Road or A71 Calder Road where they will be directed to park by police officers.

This article was posted on 31-Jan-2009, 08:49 by Hugh Barrow.