Congratulations to Euan Murray, the only Scottish born and bred player in the British and Irish Lions’ squad to tour South Africa later this year. Everyone in GHA is delighted with this latest honour for a product of Braidholm rugby.
Euan was a pupil at Williamwood High School when he was playing through the age grades for Clarkston and latterly Glasgow Southern. In that time he played for Glasgow Schools as well as Scotland’s under-18, under-19, and under-21 teams. For the under-21 team he appeared in all but one of the 14 internationals in the two seasons from 1999 to 2001.
From Southern he went on to Glasgow Hawks, Glasgow Warriors, and now Northampton Saints as well as Scotland. Before signing full time for Warriors he made sure he had a career after rugby… studying assiduously to become a fully qualified veterinary surgeon.
His Scotland debut was as a replacement against Romania in 2005. His first start was against the same opponents a year later at Murrayfield, starting a run in which he established himself solidly and unchallenged as Scotland’s tight-head. He has now played 28 times for Scotland, missing only three of his country’s past 30 internationals.
Throughout Euan’s career since he left Southern he has remained a Braidholm boy in our minds. One of his Scotland jerseys hangs proudly in our clubhouse, as does a photograph of his first Scotland try (against France in Paris in 2007).
