EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS

Father figures highly in Murray's bid for Twickenham glory


By BILL LOTHIAN
EUAN MURRAY will dedicate any Scottish Calcutta Cup victory at Twickenham on Saturday to his dad – as compensation for being responsible for him giving up rugby.

Tight head prop Murray, who will gain his 28th cap on a ground where he has previously lifted silverware at club level with Northampton Saints when they beat Exeter Chiefs in the final of the 2008 EDF Energy National Knock Out Cup, said: "Part of the reason I became a prop was because my dad, Alastair, played there with Dalziel High School FPs and I wanted to follow in his footsteps.

"Unfortunately, though, I never saw dad play, so I had to adopt (ex-Grand Slam captain) David Sole as my role model instead.

"When I came along I was the youngest of three siblings, at that stage all aged under three. In the circumstances my mum said 'enough' and that dad wasn't going to spend his weekends away.

"My being born signalled the end of his playing career so it would be cool to be part of a win at Twickenham to make up for all the games he missed!"

What must help is that Murray is widely credited as being one of the silver linings to a disappointing Scottish campaign.

Yet the 28-year-old believes he still hasn't reached his peak. "I missed three matches earlier this season with a rib damage so to an extent I feel fresher now as a result.

"But I'm a believer in prop forwards not reaching their best form until late 20s and early 30s.

"Will I know when I've reached the peak I hope has still to come? Only if I feel a slide setting in will I be able to think 'so that was my peak I'm leaving behind, then'."

On all known form Murray has plenty of high days ahead, though, especially having been named this year in a New Zealand rugby magazine as one of the world's 50 most influential players – the only Scot so honoured.

"It was nice to be acknowledged even if it was a bit surprising," says Murray in preparing to strike out for that rare double for a Scotsman - international success to add to club glory at the home of English rugby.

This article was posted on 19-Mar-2009, 21:31 by Hugh Barrow.