Clermont still covet Scots as Murdo McAndrew heads to France

Last year Clermont signed Mark Bennett and, while the 19-year-old from Ayrshire suffered a cruciate ligament injury in August, he has come back strongly and on Sunday helped Clermont’s under-23 side into the national final against Perpignan with victory over Montpellier.

But as he was preparing for that game, and White was thanking the club’s supporters to great cheers on the pitch, 18-year-old Murdo McAndrew and his father Les were enjoying the company of Clermont’s academy director Rioux Bertrand in the Stade Marcel-Michelin hospitality suite.

Born in Kirkcaldy, McAndrew came through Bell Baxter High School and Howe of Fife rugby clubs before taking up a scholarship at Strathallan School in this, his final year. The scrum-half has winner’s medals from the national under-15 and under-16 bowl competitions and the Brewin Dolphin Schools Plate, has represented Caledonia for the past three years and captained Scotland under-18s on occasion this season.

Bertrand spotted McAndrew playing for the under-18s in the European Championships in Madrid at Easter. Having been pleased with Bennett’s progress this season, he again contacted his and White’s agent, the former Scotland full-back Rowen Shepherd, now of Red Sky Management, and enquired about McAndrew. Shepherd arranged for the youngster and his father to fly to France last weekend as part of a Xodus Group-sponsored trip to support White in his last game.

Bertrand told The Scotsman: “Scottish players are doing quite well for us. We are still to work things out for Murdo but I am very hopeful that he will agree to join us too.

“It is very important for us to develop our own talent here in Clermont, and in our senior squad right now we have 17 local boys like Aurelien Rougerie, Wesley Fofana and Jean-Marcel Buttin, who made his France debut in the Six Nations this year.

“But this is a big club that wants to be the best, and so sometimes we have to look elsewhere for the kind of players we need. We have Fijians and All Blacks of course, and Jason and Nathan Hines have done well, and Mark has done very well this season too, so we know there is good talent in Scotland.

“I saw Murdo in Madrid and he is a very good scrum-half. Our plan here for him is to work in the academy, where he will learn French and train, and come through to the under-23s like Mark. But his challenge and goal is the same as everyone here: to play for the senior professional team.”

McAndrew admitted the interest had come as a surprise but he is excited at the prospect of taking his first steps in the professional game with one of France’s leading clubs. “It came right out of the blue and the weekend was amazing,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect but the facilities are great and the fact that there are some Scots boys there has helped.

“I met Mark and had dinner with him and he told me a lot about what he has done this season, and how he has got used to life out there. And that has been very reassuring. I always wanted to be a professional rugby player and since coming through the Caley age-group sides I’ve begun to believe that I can be.”