Murray Douglas is preparing for the most exciting opportunity of his rugby career after agreeing a two-year deal with the ACT Brumbies, but the Fifer has not given up on his international aspirations.
The 29-year-old lock has spent the last two years in the Southern Hemisphere’s glamorous Super Rugby competition, rubbing shoulders with some of the most famous names in the sport.
Last season he was a team-mate of All Black Beauden Barrett at the Hurricanes in Wellington and he can now look forward to having Wallaby flanker David Pocock packing down behind him following his move to Canberra.
However, there is no danger of Douglas forgetting his roots and, even as he enters his 30th year, the former Kirkcaldy, Aberdeen GSFP and Heriot’s player believes he could still contribute to the Scotland cause.
“I still have international aspirations,” he said. “Since my old man took me to Murrayfield when I was five years old I’ve always wanted to play for Scotland and I can’t ever see that changing to be honest. So, I’m going to just try to get as much as I can from the Brumbies and see what happens after that.”
Douglas believed his chances of a career in professional rugby were over when he and his fiancée emigrated three years ago. A spell in New Zealand provincial rugby with Northland then led to an opportunity to join the Hurricanes last season and after helping them reach the semi-finals of Super Rugby, he was offered a longer term deal at the Brumbies.
He recognises it is harder for him to catch the eye of the Scotland selectors while he is playing on the other side of the world, but believes there will be opportunities after or perhaps even during the two years he has committed to with the Brumbies.
“I get the impression that playing in Scotland or at least in the UK or the Northern Hemisphere would be the best way for me to put myself in the frame,” Douglas said. “It’s quite interesting. The way my Brumbies deal is structured is that I’m there for 2019 in Super Rugby, I’ve then got a five-month window where I can either got back to Mitre 10, playing in New Zealand, or I can go back to Europe while the World Cup’s on and maybe try to pick up a contract there.
“Gregor’s doing a great job with Scotland and picking teams that are winning, so I don’t think for a second that I could just waltz in there, but I want to earn a call up.”
Meanwhile, Douglas has tipped his former Hurricanes team-mate Blade Thomson to add an extra dimension to Scotland’s play when he makes a delayed start to his international career.
Scarlets back-row man Thomson, who is also capable of playing at lock, was set to make his Test debut during the autumn series before being ruled out of that campaign after suffering a head injury in ironic circumstances, playing for the Scarlets at Murrayfield on the eve of the Wales v Scotland match at the beginning of November.
The 28-year-old former New Zealand under-20 player, is Scottish-qualified through his grandparents and was called into the squad at the first opportunity after joining the Welsh province, but under World Rugby regulations, he was obliged to play for the Scarlets rather than Scotland on what was the weekend before the official autumn international window, but has not played since.
However, having played alongside him last season, Douglas is in no doubt that Thomson will make a major impact as and when he is deemed fit to play again.
“I think he’s a great player,” he said. “He’s got a bit of X-factor as well. He has great feet, is really good in the lineout, can call a lineout and has a hell of a tackle.
“He’s a really good guy as well, a really down to earth humble lad, so it’s no surprise that Gregor’s trying to get him into the Scotland set-up because I think he was very highly regarded at the Hurricanes.”
Douglas believes the only reason Thomson did not graduate to the senior All Blacks side, after winning junior honours, was bad luck with injuries.
“I think he had some shoulder issues, some operations on his shoulders, so for maybe two seasons at the Hurricanes he didn’t get a run of games because of injury and with the All Blacks, to get in there you have to be playing consistently well all the time,” he observed.
He believes he will bring a touch of All Black attitude to the Scotland camp as a product of New Zealand rugby.
“He will fit in really well,” Douglas said. “I found in the Hurricanes environment you’ve got some of the best rugby players in the world, but everyone’s just down-to-earth, humble, which just seems to be the New Zealand way. Blade will fit into any environment.”
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