Scott Murray
Encyclopedia
Scott Murray is a rugby union
player who plays at lock for Castres
and formerly Scotland
. He was at one time the record caps holder for Scotland having represented them on 87 occasions, five of which as captain and playing at three World Cups. He has also toured with the Lions
and won Scotland player of the season three times.
and Preston Lodge High School
.
He represented Scotland at every youth level and has played for Preston Lodge RFC
and Edinburgh Academicals before moving to England to help Bedford
win the Allied Dunbar Premiership Division Two
(now the RFU Championship) in 1998 and gain entrance to the English Premiership
.
He went on to play for Saracens
and Edinburgh before joining French team US Montauban
following the 2007 Rugby World Cup
. In July 2010 he joined Castres
after Montauban were liquidated due to financial problems.
on 22 November 1997 and he won the 1998-1999 Scotland player of the season in the year when Scotland won the final Five Nations Championship
.
Since then he has won this honour a further two times in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 and gained selection for the British and Irish Lions
in their tour of Australia in 2001, although he did not feature in any of the full tests.
In the 2003 Rugby World Cup
Countdown Test against Italy
he captained the side from the start for the first time when he won his 50th cap.
Murray started all three Autumn Tests in November 2005 and became Scotland's most capped player of all time, when on 10 March 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 14 June 2008, when Chris Paterson
won his 88th cap.
Murray failed to make the initial 2008 Six Nations Championship
squad, though he was later added but did not feature in any games.
game at the Millennium Stadium
on 12 February 2006 Murray was sent off by referee Steve Walsh
after retaliating by lashing out with his boot following a late tackle by Ian Gough
. His sending off was seen as a decisive point in the game that Wales won 28-18.
He became only the second Scotland player ever to be sent off (the other being 2nd row colleague Nathan Hines
) and was subsequently banned for three weeks, after an unsuccessful appeal, meaning he would miss the upcoming Calcutta Cup
game.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who plays at lock for Castres
Castres Olympique
Castres Olympique is a French rugby union club located in the Midi-Pyrénées city of Castres and currently competing in the top level of the French league system.Founded in 1898, the club took its current name in 1906...
and formerly Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
. He was at one time the record caps holder for Scotland having represented them on 87 occasions, five of which as captain and playing at three World Cups. He has also toured with the Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
and won Scotland player of the season three times.
Club career
Scott Murray is a former Scottish school basketball international who attended Morgan AcademyMorgan Academy
-History:It was designed in 1862 by the Edinburgh architects John Dick Peddie and Charles Kinnear, opening in 1868 as the Morgan Hospital, a charitable institution providing accommodation and education for "sons of tradesmen and persons of the working class generally whose parents stand in the need...
and Preston Lodge High School
Preston Lodge High School
Preston Lodge High School is a six-year non-denominational school located in the town of Prestonpans. It serves students from Prestonpans, Port Seton, Longniddry and the surrounding areas...
.
He represented Scotland at every youth level and has played for Preston Lodge RFC
Preston Lodge RFC
Preston Lodge Former Pupil Rugby Football Club are a rugby union side based in Prestonpans in East Lothian, Scotland. Formed in 1929, they currently play in Scottish Hydro National League Division 2...
and Edinburgh Academicals before moving to England to help Bedford
Bedford Blues
Bedford Blues is a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a league football club, and one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The...
win the Allied Dunbar Premiership Division Two
RFU Championship
The RFU Championship replaced National Division One as the second tier in the English rugby union system in September 2009. Unlike National Division One, which is semi-professional, the RFU Championship is a fully professional league.-History:...
(now the RFU Championship) in 1998 and gain entrance to the English Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
.
He went on to play for Saracens
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
and Edinburgh before joining French team US Montauban
US Montauban
US Montauban were a French rugby union club, which competed in the Top 14 competition between 2007 and 2010, after being promoted from Rugby Pro D2 for the 2006-07 season...
following the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
. In July 2010 he joined Castres
Castres Olympique
Castres Olympique is a French rugby union club located in the Midi-Pyrénées city of Castres and currently competing in the top level of the French league system.Founded in 1898, the club took its current name in 1906...
after Montauban were liquidated due to financial problems.
National honours
His debut for Scotland came against AustraliaAustralia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
on 22 November 1997 and he won the 1998-1999 Scotland player of the season in the year when Scotland won the final Five Nations Championship
1999 Five Nations Championship
The 1999 Five Nations Championship was the seventieth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-fifth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
.
Since then he has won this honour a further two times in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 and gained selection for the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in their tour of Australia in 2001, although he did not feature in any of the full tests.
In the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
Countdown Test against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
he captained the side from the start for the first time when he won his 50th cap.
Murray started all three Autumn Tests in November 2005 and became Scotland's most capped player of all time, when on 10 March 2007, he collected his 83rd Test cap, surpassing Gregor Townsend's
Gregor Townsend
Gregor Peter John Townsend MBE is a former Scottish rugby union player who played at fly-half, full back and latterly centre....
previous record of 82 caps. He has collected another four caps since (the last being against the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
) and held the national record until 14 June 2008, when Chris Paterson
Chris Paterson
Chris Paterson is a Scotland internationalist who plays for RaboDirect Pro12 side Edinburgh Rugby. He is Scotland’s record cap and points holder with 109 caps and 809 points. Paterson is capable in a range of positions, including fullback, wing and fly-half. In recent years Paterson has played...
won his 88th cap.
Murray failed to make the initial 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
squad, though he was later added but did not feature in any games.
Low point
During the Six Nations Scotland v WalesWales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
game at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
on 12 February 2006 Murray was sent off by referee Steve Walsh
Steve Walsh (rugby)
Steve Walsh is a professional rugby union referee from New Zealand.Walsh's rugby playing career ended at age 13, due to a spinal injury resulting from a birth deformity and he began refereeing at the age of 16....
after retaliating by lashing out with his boot following a late tackle by Ian Gough
Ian Gough
Ian Gough is a Welsh rugby union footballer, currently playing for the Ospreys in the Celtic League. His usual position is at lock. He has also played for the Welsh national team, making his debut against South Africa in 1998, and has been a regular since, including playing in the 2006 Six Nations...
. His sending off was seen as a decisive point in the game that Wales won 28-18.
He became only the second Scotland player ever to be sent off (the other being 2nd row colleague Nathan Hines
Nathan Hines
Nathan Hines is an Australian-born Scottish rugby player. He currently plays for ASM Clermont Auvergne...
) and was subsequently banned for three weeks, after an unsuccessful appeal, meaning he would miss the upcoming Calcutta Cup
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between England and Scotland. It is currently England's since the 2009 Six Nations Championship....
game.
External links
- Murray gets three-week suspension, BBC, 15 February 2006
- Scotland appeal; red card eases Wales path to win, The Guardian, 13 February 2006
- Walsh the whistle ensures red is the colour of the day, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 13 February 2006 - Red mist descends on Cardiff, The ScotsmanThe ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, 13 February 2006