Focused: Euan Murray has set his sights highBut we need not have fretted as Mr. Murray proved that, as with Mr. Kerr, this was going to be no ordinary interview over a cappuccino. He arrived, from a session at Whitecraigs and proceeded to collide with every waitress who tried to squeeze past him (on purpose or not on purpose – that is the question!). The interview that follows has been edited heavily to save us from libel action and to ensure that in the future, other players will willingly talk to us!
Euan has only played 30 minutes of rugby this season as he recovers from the stress fracture to his spine - an injury that flared up just as he looked likely to make a breakthrough on Scotland's summer tour to Australia. It was a tough time for Euan as at first, it wasn't clear what was causing the pain.
"It was very upsetting, says Euan. "I'd had a pain in my thigh but I was at the stage where I thought I was fit and then when I went out to Australia the thigh would get sore again, the pain would go away, and then get sore again. The physios didn't know what was happening and the coaches wanted to know what was going on. So I had to come home which was very disappointing because I thought I had a chance of getting a cap out there and other guys like Sean Lamont and Graeme Morrison made a breakthrough.
"It was hard flying home on my own but I watched lots of movies - and I was in business class!
"It turned out that the pain in my thigh was coming from a back injury and after a scan it turned out I had a stress fracture in my spine.
"In a way it was relief because I knew what the problem was and I was on the road to recovery."
And the routine begins
Selection for the tour Down Under was a well-deserved reward for Euan after a fine first season as a professional, but he could have made the move to Glasgow earlier. "When I was at Hawks, Glasgow talked to me but I was in the middle of my studies to become a vet so I wanted to finish that and get something under my belt for later. I also had the chance to go on the Scotland tour to North America but it was right in the middle of my exams so I didn't go, but I don't regret it because I was determined to become a vet.
"Last season I would work one day a week at the vets just to build up my experience, but now it's rugby 100% as I've seen just what is needed in the professional game. I did some small animal surgery - it's important to keep up my knowledge, so when I do go back I'll need to make sure my knowledge is up to date. If I do my American Board exams it'll mean I have the opportunity to work in the USA when I finish - but that's a good decade away - well, hopefully!"
"But for now I want to get back playing and playing well with Glasgow. That's my immediate aim, as I'd like to play against Tom Smith when we come up against Northampton in the Heineken Cup. You've got to have targets and Tom is a class performer so you want to test yourself against these guys and a good performance by me might just help my Scotland hopes too."
So with Euan now in his second season, has his attitude to rugby changed? "To be honest I didn't really enjoy last season as it was my first as a professional. Rugby until then had really been about having a laugh and enjoying myself but now it's my full-time job. You have to think like a professional all day because you've got to get things like your diet just right. When you play at club level after a game on the Saturday, you don't think that you've got a training session on the Monday but as a professional you do. I think last season showed me that perhaps I'd been fooling about a bit too much before, but now I know what it really takes to be a professional and I know the time and place to have a laugh. Guys like Dan Parks helped me through last season. He's a good lad and we have a good laugh, he doesn't take life too seriously and that helps keep you going I know it really helped last season"
It could easily be Marlon Brando
At this point, as if to demonstrate his newfound knowledge, the interview was suspended, in order for Euan to get a few impressions and look-alikes out of his system. After running the gamut from Marlon Brandon to Louis Armstrong, via most of his colleagues and Matt Williams, we managed to get him back to more serious matters, namely the state of the Glasgow squad this season.
So what does Euan think Glasgow have to do to fulfill the promise some of their play merits? "We need to get our set-piece right. If you don't have that solid platform you will always struggle. Our scrummage is improving but our lineout is still causing problems. When we do get the ball we cough it up a bit too easily, putting pressure back on us again."
Euan is just one of a number of players who talk about the difference the arrival of fitness coordinator Mark Bitcon has made to them. "Mark has made a enormous difference to me personally, guys like Andy Wilson and the squad as a whole. He's so professional and knows what each of us have to do to get to where we want to be. If you listen to Mark and do what he tells you, you won't go far wrong.
"In fact Mark and Kenny Logan have both made a huge impact since coming up from Wasps. Kenny is really vocal on and off the pitch and it's good for motivation. Kenny is a good lad, no delusions of grandeur," then after a smile and a pause for thought Euan went on, "although I've not been introduced to Gabby yet, so...maybe I'm not good enough...maybe he does have delusions?
"Kenny is a Glasgow guy as well, and that makes a difference. I was born and brought up in the city. This is my club, I would hate to play for Edinburgh or Borders! I mean, really hate it - because it wouldn't feel the same as playing for my own city, and I know the other Glasgow guys in the squad agree."
Shauzzzzzzzzle As Euan speaks you can sense that he's desperate to get involved and do his bit for the cause. He's a player who knows what he wants from rugby and knows what he has to do to achieve it. He's eager to learn from the coaches, whether it be in the technical niceties of his favoured tighthead position or listening to advice that will give him the strength and fitness required for the modern game. Euan is focused on making it to the top and we're sure he'll get there - but we're certain he'll have a laugh on the way.