Scott Murray (rugby player)

Infobox Rugby biography
name = Scott Murray


caption =
birthname =
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1976|01|15
placeofbirth = Musselburgh, Scotland
dateofdeath =
placeofdeath =
height = convert|1.98|m|ftin|abbr=on
weight = convert|105|kg|stlb|abbr=on
ru_position = lock|capital=yes
ru_nationalteam = Scotland British and Irish Lions Scotland A
ru_nationalyears = 1997-present 2001 1996-1997
ru_nationalcaps = 87 ? 9
ru_nationalpoints = (15) (0) (?)
ru_ntupdate =
ru_clubyears = 2007-present 2002-2007 1999-2002 1996-1999 19??-1996
ru_clubcaps =
ru_proclubs = US Montauban Edinburgh Saracens Bedford Blues Edinburgh Academicals
ru_clubpoints =
ru_clubupdate =
ru_currentteam = US Montauban
ru_currentposition = lock|capital=yes
ru_amupdate =
other = yes
occupation =
family =
spouse =
children =
relatives =
school = Preston Lodge High School Morgan Academy
university =

Scott Murray (born 15 January 1976) is a rugby union player who plays at lock for US Montauban and Scotland.

Playing career

Scott Murray is a former Scottish school basketball international who was discovered stacking shelves in a Prestonpans supermarket by Preston Lodge RFC youth coach Willie Patterson and asked to attend a training session. It is from here that Scotland's most capped rugby player began his journey to the top.

Murray has played for Preston Lodge RFC, Edinburgh Academicals, Bedford and Saracens. He signed a one year contract with French side US Montauban starting when his current contract ends with Edinburgh in December 2007. Standing at 6ft 6in he has special abilities at the line-out.

He was selected for the British Lions in their tour of Australia in 2001.

Murray was named the Scotland player of the season in 2002 - for the second time - and also claimed the man of the match in the 27-22 win against Wales in the same campaign. Murray suffered a shock omission from the squad in 2003.

Murray is now a senior member of the Scottish team, first captaining his side against Italy in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Countdown Test.

Murray started all three Autumn Tests in November 2005.

Murray became Scotland's most capped player of all time, when on March 10, 2007, he collected his 83rd Test cap, surpassing Gregor Townsend's previous record of 82 caps. He has collected another four caps since (the last being against the All Blacks in the 2007 Rugby World Cup) and held the national record until June 14 2008, when Chris Paterson won his 88th cap.

Low point

Murray was sent off by referee Steve Walsh in the Six Nations Scotland v Wales game at the Millennium Stadium on February 12, 2006 for retaliating against a late tackle by kicking a man in the face. This greatly contributed to Scotland losing the game 18-28. Probably the action was born of frustration at being impeded through a late tackle by Ian Gough after he had distributed the ball to his scrum half Mike Blair. Anyway it was very out of character, not intentional and deeply regretted by him. He apologised to Gough straight away, who later expressed regret over his part in the incident.

Murray had never been sent off before in over 70 games for his country and he became only the second Scotland player ever to be sent off, the other being 2nd row colleague Nathan Hines. He was banned for three weeks meaning he would miss the upcoming Calcutta Cup game.

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/international/4710188.stm Murray gets three-week suspension] , BBC, February 15, 2006
* [http://sport.guardian.co.uk/sixnations2006/story/0,,1708508,00.html Scotland appeal; red card eases Wales path to win] , The Guardian, February 13, 2006
* [http://sport.guardian.co.uk/sixnations2006/story/0,,1708519,00.html Walsh the whistle ensures red is the colour of the day] , The Guardian, February 13, 2006
* [http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/rugby.cfm?id=224082006 Red mist descends on Cardiff] , The Scotsman, February 13, 2006
* [http://www.scottishrugby.org/sru/index.cfm?0C2EA9C5-07C3-7191-B5FC-5DFDEAF0E0EE&playeruuid=E9076358-A6D8-5398-EC10-7109F00BE669&squad_uuid=78732359-B554-30A5-8C4D-C60E01CE7ED5&org_uuid=F5DF887B-E238-AAEF-622C-9E64FFA6EE5C Scotland Profile]