Gray matters: Richie’s been working on being a link man to earn Scotland recall
Richie Gray in action in 2017 - he will be back in a Scotland shirt on Saturday
©Rugby People
Remember Richie Gray? You couldn’t miss him really. After all, he was the 6ft 10inch man with a mop of blond hair that, between the ages of 20 and 27, earned 64 Scotland caps and was a near-constant figure in the second-row.
He also made a Test appearance for the British & Irish Lions in Australia in 2013 and was a standout performer for top clubs such as Glasgow Warriors, Sale Sharks, Castres and Toulouse.
Since then injuries have, at times, plagued him while he also made himself unavailable for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan due to family circumstances. It means in the Gregor Townsend era, Gray has only earned three further caps for his country.
His younger brother Jonny, on 69, now has two more caps than Gray senior, but aged 33 and now back at Glasgow, cap number 68 looks set to come in the Autumn Nations Series at BT Murrayfield on Saturday against Fiji.
“I think I had a pretty good year last year [with Glasgow] and it was a bit different in terms of what I was trying to produce on the pitch,” Gray told TRU this week.
“Last year was very good on the foundations - set piece, lineout, lineout defence - which has now become a massive part of the game - and just generally defence around the park. I was happy with where I got to last year and this year I have been trying to link up in attack between forwards and backs and get on the ball a bit more.
“This year I’m just trying to have a few more moments in terms of link play in attack. That’s been the big focus for me in these first few games of the season. I think I can still push forward, but I’m happy with where I’m at.
“There’s been a bit of hard work that has gone into it. It’s just a case of can I replicate that on the international stage where obviously things move a wee bit faster and there is not so much space, but that’s the challenge going into the weekend.
“[After regaining full fitness after a head knock] Tuesday this week was an intense session and certainly an eye-opener for me because it’s been a while.
“It was a wee bit quicker than what I’m used to, but it was good. The team are looking sharp and the boys running the Fiji plays in the non-matchday 23 were looking sharp as well. It was a really good session. There were a few things to iron out, which we did, so we’re in a good place and hopefully we can build on that.”
“I’m not talking about finishing”
At 33 and with a CV as packed as Gray’s, you could forgive him for perhaps having one eye on the next chapter.
However, his rugby career seems to have found a new lease of life in the last 18 months.
There is, of course, a Rugby World Cup 2023 Pool B opener against South Africa in the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille now on the horizon for all Scottish rugby players.
And Gray, who will just have turned 34 by then, certainly hopes to be in the mix to add to his 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup experiences.
“Rugby players go on a bit longer these days,” he explains. “I take a lot of confidence from that. I’ve been given the opportunity to come back in. Physically I feel well and mentally I feel good and I’m playing some good rugby, so everything has just come together.
“It’s not about the last waltz or anything like that. It’s just about coming in and playing some rugby. I’m not talking about finishing.”
“At the time of the 2019 World Cup, I had the birth of my first child and a whole host of injuries. The timing just wasn’t right. Now I want to come in and have a go at it.
“[The Rugby World Cup] it is certainly an ambition, but first and foremost we have the game this weekend. It will be a tough game against Fiji, it always is, so let’s take it one step at a time.”
“His form has been great to see”
Gray has only appeared with Townsend at the helm as a replacement away to Italy in 2018 and off the bench against England away and Wales at home in 2021.
Younger second-rows like Scott Cummings, Sam Skinner, Jamie Hodgson and Marshall Sykes have all joined experienced heads Grant Gilchrist and Jonny Gray in the Scotland second-row mix in the last five or so years, but with the aforementioned two now injured, Townsend has turned back to Gray senior.
“It’s the best I’ve seen from him,” Townsend said of Gray’s recent form in the BKT URC with Glasgow.
“He’s played two games this season where it’s the best I’ve seen him play in more than five years - against Cardiff and against the Bulls.
“His form has been great to see. The other thing is him saying that he wants to play for Scotland again. His form has helped that decision - he feels he can perform at Test level.”
The Scotland matchday 23 to play Fiji is due to be named on Thursday lunchtime.
