Richie Gray hopes Olympics legacy will boost rugby

RICHIE Gray may be adapting to life in the English Premiership, but a young Scot was quick to bring him down to earth on a trip north yesterday.

Gray was in Invergordon as a guest of CRC-Evans Offshore Ltd, hosting a touch rugby competition and Q&A session with pupils of Invergordon Academy. The Scotland second row stands at 6ft 9in tall, but that frame was brought crashing to earth when Sixth Year student Karim Boulithe came from his blind-side just as he was called for an interview with The Scotsman.

“I thought this was ‘Touch’!” Gray said, laughing. “It’s been great fun and I love being out in the community with youngsters. They certainly don’t hold back!”

Gray, who has agreed to become an ambassador for the off-shore company, also spoke to the students and local CRC-Evans staff about his beliefs in working hard, the value of teamwork and need to set high goals. He said that the recent Olympic Games had provided fresh inspiration which he ultimately hopes will transfer into rugby.

He explained: “I’ve been busy in pre-season training so I never saw any events live, other than a warm-up basketball match in Manchester between the USA and GB. That was something else, but you could definitely feel a real buzz from the Olympics.

“I thought ‘Super Saturday’ was amazing, and Mo Farah was absolutely brilliant. Chris Hoy has been an inspiration for me for years and he was hugely inspiring again, and it was great to see the emotion from him on the podium.

“I’ve definitely seen more people out running and cycling this summer, and if that continues then we will have a legacy from the Olympics across all sports, but hopefully it transfers into rugby so that we see more and more youngsters having a go.”

As for his first season away from Glasgow, Gray is optimistic that if his ambitions fall into place it could end in success with Sale Sharks, big wins with Scotland and a prized spot on the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, and the potential for another summer of British sporting fever.

“The Lions was not the prime reason I went to Sale,” he added. “The reason for me going to Sale was that I believed it was the best place for me to improve as a player and I wanted to challenge myself in a new league, and different style of rugby.

“My hope is to play well for Sale first and foremost, and be part of a winning team, but if I can achieve that and make real improvements then that will make me a better player for Scotland and hopefully give me a chance of getting on that Lions tour.

“But it seems a long way off right now, especially when Sixth Years are knocking me over!”