Scott Murray off to Castres in bid to revive his career

SCOTLAND lock Scott Murray has switched to Castres in France to kickstart his career after his club Montauban went bankrupt, putting him in line for a Heineken Cup meeting with old club Edinburgh.

Montauban were effectively dropped from the Top 14 to the third division this year after being unable to meet strict financial requirements in the French game, which has led to them releasing all their professional players with a pay-off.

Turning down approaches from other clubs in France and England, Murray has agreed a one-year deal at Castres, where the 34-year-old links up with former Montauban coaches Laurent Travers and Laurent Labit. Castres finished fifth in this year's Top 14, just a point off the semi-final play-offs.

His fellow Scot Andy Henderson, the former Glasgow and Scotland centre who had just signed a four-year deal with Montauban, is also close to confirming a move, with a club in the Guinness Premiership keen to add him to their squad for next season.

Meanwhile, the two Italian teams preparing to take their bows in the Magners League have been busy in the transfer market over the summer with new club Aironi making 36 signings. The teams are expected to resemble mixes of the full Italy and Italy 'A' sides with a handful of foreign additions.

Aironi have snapped up 27 of the top home-based prospects, including 12 from the now feeder club Viadana, but have also attracted former Italy captains Marco Bortolami from Gloucester and Fabio Ongaro (Saracens), and capped props Matias Aguero, also from Saracens, Salvatore Perugini (Bayonne) and Fabio Staibano (Castres).

Rumoured to have a budget greater than the 3 million now expended by each Scottish team, there is also some foreign talent arriving in the shape of Kiwi No 8 Nick Williams from Munster, South Africans Dylan Des Fountain (Stormers) and Danwel Demas (Cheetahs), and French fly-halves Ludovic Mercier (Petrarca) and Julien Laharrague (Montauban), as well as Italy's multi-capped Kiwis Josh Sole and Kaine Robertson from Viadana.

Treviso, under the stewardship of 37-year-old former Springbok Franco Smith, were already Italy's strongest club and needed less bolstering. However, they have signed other Italian caps. Their only overseas signing to date is Bath winger Joe Maddock.

lHeriot's will play host to Watsonians at Goldenacre on the opening weekend of the new Premier 1 rugby season on 21 August, and not Myreside as reported in The Scotsman yesterday. Apologies for the error.