Murray out to make good in the land of his mother
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BLAIR Murray may have been born and raised in New Zealand, but he has always been very aware of his Welsh roots.
That heritage was a big factor behind his decision to join the Scarlets over the summer as he set his sights on making the Wales squad.
Now that goal could be achieved in double quick time, with the former Crusaders winger having made an impressive start to the season to put himself in the mix for Warren Gatland‘s autumn squad.
Explaining his qualification, he said: “My mother is full Welsh. She was born here, she is from Tonyrefail. She moved to New Zealand after she met my dad. I’ve always been very aware of my Welsh family roots and I’ve always had that in mind. Mum made sure I would never forget it!
“One of my main goals when I came over here was to try and make the Welsh squad. We will see how it goes.”
Hailing from Taranaki, Murray began his rugby journey at the age of five with the Southern club in Hawera, going on to attend New Plymouth Boys High and represent New Zealand Schoolboys, before heading down to Christchurch in the south island to join the Crusaders Academy.
He then spent a couple of seasons with Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship before deciding to head for the land of his mum.
“I had expressed interest about coming over here, saying I was Welsh qualified,” he said.
“When I didn’t get my go with the Crusaders, I thought I’d try something new and I was lucky enough to pick up a gig with the Scarlets.”
Before signing on the dotting line, Murray sought the advice of his childhood hero Leigh Halfpenny, right, who was at the Crusaders at the time.
“I had a couple of chats with him and he was saying how I was going to love it,” he revealed.
“He said the coaching staff, the management, the players, the fans and the Scarlets as a whole were awesome. He basically had nothing bad to say about them which made my decision a lot easier.
“Dwayne Peel was awesome and really welcoming and I have been loving it since coming over. “The boys are great, very similar to back home. Everyone gets around each other and helps each other out. It’s like a family environment.” Outlining his strengths, the 5ft
8ins and 11st 5lbs 23-yearold – who goes by the nickname Buzz – says: “It’s definitely not my size! I would probably say speed and agility.”
His preferred position is full-back, but he’s more than happy to operate on the wing, where he is shining with that speed and agility, plus his heroic defence, as epitimosed by his crucial try-saving cover tackle on Gabriel Hamer-Webb in last weekend’s victory over Cardiff.
Delivering his verdict, Scarlets coach Peel said: “That tackle was fantastic, it won the game for us. Blair has been excellent. We signed him as an out-and-out attacking threat. He has got a good skill set, but he is also learning all the time about defending.”
