THE SCOTSMAN TODAY

Call-up caps memorable year for Hines while Murray counts his blessings



Published Date: 22 April 2009
By DAVID FERGUSON
THE year 2009 was never going to be anything other than unforgettable for Nathan Hines, but selection for the British and Irish Lions has taken his dreams into a new world.
The 32-year-old second row turned up in Scotland from Australia in 1998 on a travelling holiday with his then girlfriend Leann with the promise of some rugby if he fancied it at Gala. He duly pulled on the maroon jersey at Netherdale, went on to win the Scottish Cup in 1999 and began an adventure that shows no sign of ending.

In the past decade Hines has won 58 Scotland caps, become the first Scottish player to be red-carded in a Test match, had a knee reconstruction, walked out on Scotland coaches Matt Williams and Willie Anderson and quit Edinburgh for Perpignan, where he reached the Heineken Cup semi-finals.

Off the field, he and wife Leann have gone through years of trying for a baby, but in February Leann gave birth to Joshua after successful IVF treatment. Having overcome concerns of whether he would miss Scotland's Six Nations matches due to the imminent birth, Hines found himself on the sidelines due to a knee injury picked up in France in January.

He recovered quickly enough to come off the bench in Scotland's final two games against Ireland and England. That, and his form back at Perpignan this month, was enough to confirm what Ian McGeechan already knew, that Hines' blend of aggression and ball skills would be a crucial part of his bid for a second successive Lions victory in South Africa.

"I did worry after I'd had surgery that my Lions hopes might be gone," said Hines. "I was disappointed in 2005 not to get a shot, but I hadn't been given enough game-time by Matt Williams to deserve a chance, so I just knuckled down and worked hard over the last few years to give myself the best chance this time.

Right now it just feels like an incredible dream, unreal at the moment to be honest.

"I don't feel I'm a special player, or that I deserve to be among something as special as the Lions. It is hard to put into words the honour you feel. I didn't think anything could beat playing for Scotland, then you have a year where Josh comes along, and then this."

Hines, who follows the legendary Ian Smith as an Australian-born Scot to play for the Lions, found out he was in the squad from friends' text messages after a builder interrupted his watching of the announcement. Murray was also otherwise engaged. "We'd been training and I had an appointment with a very large steak," he said. "I went for lunch and then mates started texting, and it was a nice feeling then."

Like Hines, the 28-year-old with 28 caps suffered an injury in January which kept him out of Scotland's opening games with Wales and France. His return brought instant improvement in Scotland's scrum against Italy and good displays against Ireland and England, even in defeat, ensured his Lions spot.

"I am really happy. It's been difficult to ignore the talk of me being in over the season, but I have tried to keep my feet on the ground, answer questions sensibly and accept that nothing was written in stone.

"I do believe it's down to a change in attitude last year. I realised from reading the Bible that I could be working harder, so I applied what I felt I was learning and I see this now as a reward for hard work."

However, with one remaining league match against Sale this weekend, and then a European Challenge Cup semi-final with Saracens, Murray is not counting his chickens yet.

"There are, hopefully, a few games with Northampton to come yet so I am just hopeful we can do well in these, win some silverware and I can stay fit, and then we'll start thinking about the Lions."

This article was originally posted on 22-Apr-2009, 07:15 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 22-Apr-2009, 07:15.