Murray Drives Off

As Murray Driver leaves Boroughmuir to return to his native New Zealand, there will be little doubt that the man who will no longer take to the field in the green and blue played a significant part in the club’s success over the past two seasons. The prop, who grew up in Hamilton, New Zealand, was initially drawn to play in Scotland by a mix of Scotitish ancestry and a drunken weekend spent in the nation’s capital whilst playing for Sale Sharks.

“When I was playing down in England, there were two guys who used to play for Boroughmuir and so we came up to spend a weekend on the p**s in Scotland and I really enjoyed myself. And with the ancestry on my mum’s side being Scottish, it just seemed like the right place to come and play".

And as with so many of the overseas players who come to ply their trade in the Scottish game, initial contact was made through a casual word from a friend. 

“A friend of mine is a friend of Terry O’Connor’s and during the 7s circuit, Terry was talking to him about the fact that the club were recruiting for front row players. My mate told him he knew someone back home who was looking to come over, so Terry e-mailed me and so did Sean Lineen and it just kind of snowballed from there”.

And with his departure now imminent after two years, there is still one thing that he regrets about his time here.

“Not having won the cup. After winning the league last season, which was by far the proudest moment of my time at the club, it was like ‘right, now it’s time for the cup’. So the defeat at Aberdeen was really painful. And it means I’ve never played at Murrayfield which was one of my goals”.

One of the biggest questions that will be asked by fans over the coming summer months is who will take Murray’s place in the starting line-up. And according to the Kiwi, the potential for the role is already available within the club. 

“There’s a number of good front row players at the club already. Freddie Lait has really taken his chance with both hands and is deservedly an automatic starter now. John Cox has put in some good performances and has the ability to become a great forward and with someone like Kenny Blyth who is just so enthusiastic, there is definitely the potential. Whether it’ll be ready for next season, I’m not sure though”.

With such talent available at the club, Murray is firm in his opinion that ’Muir will be battling for the title again next season. 

“I think it’ll be the same sides battling it out next season. Hawks weren’t necessarily the best side this season, but they were the most consistent. And I would expect them to be so again next year. Watsonians might be a challenge if they import some more players like they did this season. If Boroughmuir can win back the consistency we had last season then I don’t see any reason why we can’t take the title back. I think the difference between last year and this is that where we would have won games by one or two points when we didn’t play well last season, this time around we lost those games by one or two points”.

When asked to name the best player he’s played against during his time in Scotland, perhaps surprisingly Murray chose a teammate. 

“I’d like to say Ben Fisher but I’d be lying. In all honesty I’d have to say Tommy McGee when we did live scrummaging in training. That was some pretty tough going”. 

And there wasn’t a moment’s hesistation about the best player he’s played with. 

“Chris Cusiter. When I first saw him play I phoned friends back home and told them that I’d just seen the next Scotland scrum half. I expected him to get capped in three years and he only took two. There was just something special about him and you could really tell that he was going to go far in the game”.

Both on and off the field, Murray is adamant that the thing he will miss most when he returns to his native land is the people. 

“The people at Boroughmuir have been great since the moment I arrived and always made me feel welcome, and just people I’ve met around the city during my time here have been really nice. In the end, I suppoose you can always see pictures of the city, but it’ll definitely be the people I miss”.

What the future holds for him is, as Murray says, “the million dollar question”. But he does have firm hopes to one day open a pub. 

“It’s probably a good few years away yet. I’m going to head back to Hamilton and do some jobs to get some money together but the plan is eventually to open my own bar. That’s something I’d really enjoy”. 

And he has no plans to distance himself from rugby. 

“I’d love to get involved with some coaching, probably back at my home club in Hamilton. I know some guys who’ve done that and they really enjoy it so I’ll probably look towards getting some coaching certificates at some point”.

Whatever it is that he does when he leaves these shores for the final time, I’m sure everyone at the club would want to thank Murray for his time here and wish him all the best for the future.

Simon Furnivall