20 Questions: Murray McConnell – Nottingham scrum-half

How’s your season gone so far?
It’s been very enjoyable. I managed to play quite a lot after Darryl Veenendaal picked up a couple of knocks. We’ve been playing well in recent weeks too so it’s going well.
Picked up a few tries as well didn’t you?
I went through the whole of last season without scoring so it’s great to get over the line a few times this season. I think I got six in the league so far.
Your last one at London Welsh was pretty important too?
I scored in the last minute and it meant we left Old Deer Park with two points because it was the fourth and we lost 26-20. It kept us in the play-offs spot before the Cup break which is great.
Happy with your fourth place in the table half-way through the season?
It’s a good place to be but we know we can improve and if a couple of results didn’t get away from us we could have pushed on.
Can you stay there until the end of the season?
That’s the goal! We’ve got to tweak a few things but hopefully we can be involved in the play-offs.
Can you challenge London Irish and Yorkshire Carnegie?
It think we can. We pushed Carnegie really close but we know we’ll have to be at our best for the full 80 minutes to do so.
Big one against Carnegie on Boxing Day?
It’ll be massive for us. We then have Pirates away on New Year’s eve which would make for a great journey back if we can win. They beat us at Lady Bay too so we hope to get one back on them.
What do you have to improve?
Our urgency at the start of the game. We keep going a few tries down and we had to come from behind on a few occasions. We’re showing great character but it’d be nice not to have to chase the game in the first place.
Why were you struggling at the start of the season?
We had some tough games against the top sides in the league while we had a lot of changes at the club. We had some new players coming in as well as a new coach. It took us a while to settle in.
What about the British & Irish Cup?
We want to get out of the group and play in the knock out stages. We play Richmond at home this weekend and we have to win. That’s as simple as that really.
Richmond are hitting some good form recently, worried?
It’s great for the league to see them being competitive. They ran us pretty close earlier in the season at home so we know it’s going to be a tough one.
How long have you been at the club?
It’s my second season in Nottingham and I’m really enjoying it. My girlfriend moved down from Glasgow this year too which makes life a lot easier. All the players are really close so I’m enjoying myself a lot.
Why leave the Warriors?
I just wanted to play more consistently and Nottingham came along. It was a good opportunity and I’m so pleased I did it. It’s the best decision I’ve made in my rugby career.
How hard is it to break through in Scotland with only two teams?
It’s pretty tough. The Warriors had two very good scrum-halves in Chris Cusiter and Niko Matawalu. I had a couple of chances but I wasn’t good enough at the time and I didn’t get another shot after that.
Any regrets?
Not at all! It was great to work with these guys and being coached by Gregor Townsend.
If not rugby what would you be doing?
I tried university in Glasgow but I only lasted half a year. I’m enjoying coaching right now and I’ll be doing my level 2 in the New Year so that’s something I’d look at.
Favourite cheat meal?
KFC after a game but I blame TJ Harris and Viliami Hakolo for having a bad influence on me.
Three dinner guests?
Muhammed Ali, Joost van der Westhuizen and Lance Armstrong.
Best and worst banter at Nottingham?
Oli Evans is the worst without a doubt but Will Millett is pretty good.
Best and worst dressed?
Oli wears his Crocs everywhere and that’s just unacceptable. Alex Goble, who does some part-time modelling, is always well-dressed.