Powered by family, freedom and square sausage, an injury-free Richie Gray is a tantalising Scotland prospect again
If anyone doubted the commitment of Richie Gray to Glasgow Warriors, imagine the dedication required to drive for two days and over 1,100 miles, spend a fortnight in quarantine and then start pre-season training at your new club. Now imagine that you are 6ft 10ins tall and have your 13-month-old son and two dogs in the back of your car.
In the midst of a global pandemic, this was the odyssey facing the giant lock, his wife Ellie and their burgeoning clan. They crammed themselves into their vehicle and made the arduous trip from the south of France to Gray’s home city.
He returns to Warriors eight seasons after leaving, a pilgrimage that took in spells with Sale Sharks, Castres and Toulouse, where he won the Top 14. The club is a vastly different beast to the ambitious pretenders with meagre crowds that he left behind. Gray has changed too, but he hasn’t lost touch with his cultural heritage.
Ask the big fella what he missed most about Glasgow and he gives you the typical spiel about family and mates and cherished old haunts. It turns out, though, that the idyll and cuisine of Toulouse have nothing on Scotland’s culinary delights. “You miss having a roll and square sausage, having an Indian or a Chinese, just daft things but still home comforts,” he explained. “I’ve really missed that.”
Well, you can take the boy out of Glasgow. In choosing Warriors, there is the recognition that such huge calls are no longer based solely on rugby and personal goals. Fatherhood has changed Gray – how could it not? – and life has become centred on creating the best environment for Ellie and little Ostin to flourish.
He spoke to other clubs, but the support structure of home and the opportunity to make his mark on an evolving Glasgow team was too tempting for Gray to resist. “It moves from being all about me to being about my son and wife, they come first in the decisions,” he said.
“It was massively important for me to get in amongst family and friends and Ostin’s come back, he’s loving life, he’s seen everyone, close family, and he runs around the gardens having a great time. When you look at that, you think, yeah, this was the right move and the right thing to do.
“Prior to that, we had a lot of family coming over to France to visit us – I say us, it was really to visit him – and that was for a couple of weeks at a time. With the support network here, having a wee one changed a lot of things for us.
“From a rugby point of view, I just really wanted to get back in amongst this squad,” continued Gray. “I see how well they have been doing, speak to my brother Jonny quite a lot, he’s spoken really highly of Glasgow, how much he loved it, how good the coaching and strength and conditioning was. I just really fancied it. And fortunately enough for me, Glasgow wanted to take me on.”
As fate would have it, the elder sibling returns just as his brother is leaving. The hope is that Jonny Gray adds gears and snarl to his game at Exeter Chiefs in the way that Richie feels he blossomed in the Top 14.
There, he played with and pitted himself against some of the game’s very finest operators. He saw how relaxed the great All Black Jerome Kaino was before matches and resolved to worry less. He learned to lead and adapt and appreciate how culture could make or break a team.
France also opened his eyes to the eccentric, the utterly bonkers practices that still pervade the top division. “In the early days at Castres, I was doing a scrum session and the coach jumped on top of the scrum,” Gray said. “This guy was planking over the front row. Apparently, he was doing it to help the guys work on their balance and keep their chests up, but that was pretty mental.
“We had pre-match pizzas, which me and Johnnie Beattie would laugh about, but one night they weren’t there and we were both like, where are they? The pizzas had become part of the ritual.
“I speak about these crazy things but you need to remember that we went to Clermont in a semi-final, who hadn’t been beaten at home in 77 games, with the pre-match pizzas and the coach lying across the top of the scrum and we beat them. We went on to play a final against Toulon and lost narrowly, so who is right and who is wrong?
“If you can get the team culture right, everyone happy and moving in the right direction, that’s a huge part of the game.”
"Glasgow fans feared there was more chance of Danny Wilson announcing a new clothing line than a significant addition to his PRO14 squad, but along came a whopper of a re-signing"
– @JLyall93 on the Leone Nakarawa contract extension through to 2021 ???https://t.co/MIl7IIg1r6
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 24, 2020
In the past three years, injuries have followed Gray like a wolf tracking a wounded bison. His hip, his back, his calf and his head all conspired to limit game time and stoke frustration. He was still a big part of the Toulouse team that won the league a year ago, but last played a competitive game in December and has only been seen in Scotland colours once since 2017.
With the birth of Ostin and the need for minutes, Gray chose not to join Scotland’s World Cup training camps. He might have added to his 66 caps during the Six Nations that followed but for concussion. Approaching his 31st birthday, he still has bags to offer at international level. But having played so little, and with Gregor Townsend’s supply of locks so bountiful, there are no guarantees.
“The desire is always there, but the priority is Glasgow,” Gray explained. “Every player will tell you that you need to play well for your club before looking at internationals. You also have to take into account that the Scotland second row is pretty strong at the moment. So let’s see what happens.
"And are you going to shell out £300-400k for a slightly-better-than-mediocre Super Rugby player, or do you develop young guys?"
Jason O'Halloran talks realpolitik with @JLyall93 ; recruitment, Scottish academies, Nakarawa & Borders talent going to waste https://t.co/0lJ8TI49ef
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 21, 2020
“I’m available. I suppose those conversations will happen over the next few months but first and foremost is to get back playing and trying to get a slot in this Glasgow squad. I don’t think I can get ahead of myself.”
The chats with incoming Warriors coach Danny Wilson have been invigorating. Wilson sees in Gray a Glasgow leader and a top-class lineout forward. Gray acknowledges a coach keen to exploit his expertise and give him more freedom in open prairie.
Back in his younger days, in the mud at Firhill, he was a rampaging monster in the loose. That edge dulled a little in France where he learned to be more selfless and was expected to be more bruiser than dazzler. Glasgow will deploy no such shackles.
“As the nitty-gritty of my game improved, the breaks and that sort of stuff were not as common, and I’d certainly like to get that back a little bit. That’s certainly one of the things I’d like to improve at Glasgow, who are such a good attacking side.
ICYMI | It might have been 8? years since his last appearance for Glasgow Warriors, but Richie Gray is ready to hit the ground running on his return to his hometown club.
Read: https://t.co/0gflLjBv0H#WhateverItTakes
???? pic.twitter.com/RTam8GK7P7— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) July 10, 2020
“If you look at my role in the Toulouse team, my job first and foremost role was making sure that the ball was secured at a ruck, making sure we were tight in defence, making sure we won lineout ball because we have got guys like Maxime Medard, Cheslin Kolbe, Yoann Huget across the field who are making these 50, 60-metre breaks. My role was different. My role was doing my job so these guys could do theirs.
“I still think that’s massively important. That’s maybe something that’s changed over the years in my mindset – the simple parts of the game are so important and if they get overlooked then you can come unstuck. That’s something I want to continue but then again, I also want to improve on that attacking side and get back a little of what I had at Glasgow before. If I’m able to merge those together, I’ll be quite happy and in a good place.”
An injury-free Gray, powered by family, freedom and of course, square sausage, is a tantalising Glasgow and Scotland prospect.
"It's too generic. I don't think academies look at people as individuals. A lot of people would have looked at Darcy Graham two or three years ago and thought he was too small. That's rubbish"
– Rob Moffat with @JLyall93 on rugby in Scotland's Borders???https://t.co/6C5PGnsbrz
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 9, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Ireland Reign Supreme? Really? Of the 6 nations two (Wales and Italy) were not contenders for the title. No credit to Ireland for beating them. A further nation (France) was off the boil. So it was really more like a 3N tournament. Of the two remaining Irish opponents, one (England) is in rebuild but still managed to beat Ireland. The other (Scotland) was an Irish win, but hardly a beating. It was pretty close, despite being an Irish home game. Ireland were excellent early last year, but this year they struggled to win a 6N tournament that should have been unusually easy for them to win. They were not dominant against the better teams, and they certainly don’t Reign Supreme. Let’s hope they reinvigorate their attack before the SA trip.
3 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and totally correct. Definately too many teams which is unfortunately an effect of the 21st century hubris that began after our 2nd World Cup win. Honestly we weren't like that before then. If NZ beat us in a Rugby League or cricket series (which has occasionally happened) they don't all of a sudden think they are our equal or even better than us. Unfortunately for Australia, we got carried away with ourselves and wanted to jump from 4th biggest football code to biggest…in 5 minutes. More teams, more matches against the All Blacks (so we could beat them even more). Bring it on. It’s been all down hill since then. Assuming Melbourne are gone, there are very good reasons to keep the remaining 4 in SR, or so it would seem. The Force?…wronged previously, and have $s. Surely not. The Brumbies?….easily the best performed. Surely not. The Waratahs?….most players (50%) and most followers. Surely not. The Reds?….easily the best current team, and nearly as many players and followers as the Waratahs. Surely not. I’d argue that based on how strong the combined Reds n Rebs would be and how strong a combined team of all of the other Oz SR teams would be, we have players for 2 teams…..which would be good. Good enough for a propper SR competition…or maybe good enough for Japan….if they’ll have us. Existing SR teams?….keep them and have them play a second tier…or maybe NZ's NRC….if they'll have us. This is biting the bullet. We have the cattle
1 Go to commentsbest news and very helpful
4 Go to commentsA year ago Ireland and France looked impressive. In this 6N neither looked special. Both have lost good players, but more importantly teams have figured out how to shut them down. In particular the Irish loss to a rebuilding England and the home game struggle against a brave Scotland did nothing to prove that the Irish RWC result was undeserved. If the Scots can shut down the Irish attack, then SA can do so with interest. Rassie will have watched that game with confidence. Farrell is smart, and the Irish team is talented, so we should expect a more creative game plan in SA. But if all they bring is what they showed against Scotland then Ireland is going to struggle against the Boks. It was a fun 6N tournament, but the win for Ireland was as much about weak competition as about Irish brilliance. It was mostly due to France being off the boil, Wales and Italy not being contenders, and Scotland being a home game. England are looking much better, but “much better” should not be enough to topple a team that is supposed by some to be The Best in the World. I hope that Ireland can bump it up a notch or two for the Bok tour. A year ago they were fantastic to watch. It would be great to see that again.
24 Go to commentsLooking forward to the Wallabies being competitive again. No doubt that Joe can get them back on track.
1 Go to commentsThanks, Nick, not only for this fine article, but for all the others during 6N 2024. I really enjoyed this 2024 tournament, and felt it was one of the best for many years. That final match in Lyons was really good. England were certainly unlucky when that speculative hack by Ramos lead to a French try. It could just so easily have landed in English hand.s, and they score at the other end. I did think though that the French played some great rugby, and some of their driving play in the forwards was just fearsome. I watched Meafou with interest, and he has a good start to his career. It is interesting to compare him with Will Skelton. Lot of similarities, though so far Meafou has not shown any offloading threat. All credit to Borthwick for being prepared to change, and what great result, even if that last game was lost at the death. I feel they are a real chance to cause the AB’s problems this winter/summer. Finally a comment on Ireland. I thought their last game was their worst, and they did not look like the world’s No 2 side at all. What really worries me is that the loss to England was, in my view, down to poor decision making by the coaching group, and ofc Andy Farrell wears that. It was a big mistake to move JGP away from scrum half. Murray should have been the one to go to the wing. And the “finishers” should have been on the field earlier. And this is the second time this has happened. The RWC Qf against the AB’s, and not getting Crowley onto the field was a huge mistake. Finally, finally, watching Italy play was a joy. How wonderful that they are no longer the punchbag of the 6 N.
44 Go to commentsGreat story. Rugby needs new investment in teams like Brussels another pro league in Europe would be great.
1 Go to commentsAlso, looking at the data from last year, it seemed like by far the two biggest predictors of success were (1) kicking more than your opponents, and (2) having a higher rate of line-out wins than your opponents. I haven’t gone through the stats this year with a fine tooth comb, but the increase in kicks per game and the increase in tries from lineouts would suggest that these two metrics are only getting more important. England’s move away from a kick-heavy game to win against Ireland was seen by some as evidence that running rugby is on the rise. Alternatively it could be taken as evidence that if one team kicks more, and the other team wins more lineouts (as England did) a match is bound to be close to a draw.
3 Go to commentsI have been finding it odd that points per 22 entry has become such a talked about stat, given that your points per entry can be driven down by having more entries. These data would seem to confirm that it isn’t a useful metric, or at any rate is less useful than total entries.
3 Go to commentsI think the last two games England have played is some of their best rugby they have played under Borthwick. There has been a lot more attacking instinct and as a reward have created some well worked tries. Ollie Lawrence is a good foil at 12 as he offers the hard direct lines whilst the rest of the backs can play open. As much as it pains me to say but I do hope England keep playing this way. On a side note my favourite try of the weekend was Lorenzo Pani’s for the nice loop play that put him away and his finish was excellent. Thanks as always Nick.
44 Go to commentsMost exciting player on the planet right now, worth the price of a ticket.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith and Ireland live rent free in Safa’s heads. Their comments only triggers because its true. If the Boks had dismantled a 14 man AB’s, then there would be more respect. But they didnt, in fact quite the opposite, the 14 man NZ were clearly better. And the Bok have always been ordinary between RWC’s, thats why their supporters are now ‘only RWC’s matter’. They know thats BS. Its BS to both AB’s and Bok’s due to their history. But now its all the Safas have. Now we’ll hear excuses when they lose “oh we didnt have all our players available, the ABs/France/Eng/Irel were at full strength”, forgetting for a minute that its because of their own dumb policy. Oh well, makes a change from blaming ‘cheating refs’.
24 Go to commentsNo Nick, they did not, in fact, justify any ‘probables’ label. At no time did they seriously compete for the championship. Ireland led from start to finish and in the end, as a result of glaring referee errors, were never under serious pressure to lose their crown.
44 Go to commentsMoney for him, and his family, has been the sole motivator since he signed for Queensland aged 17. Why else sign for Melbourne. Tupou is poorly advised. If he’d stayed and developed in NZ he would have had a long Test career. If Leinster offer him a few more coins than he’s currently earning, he’s goneburger.
4 Go to commentsFinn. No one would say Ford had played well up until the last game. One standout performance in 5 is hardly in form . It should be a given that a 10 will control play . Not in Fords case be praised for suddenly doing so. Where was he against Scotland ,Italy. The pundits were saying how far away from play he was standing and one even said that the Ireland game was his last chance saloon to perform . Not exactly top form catching anyones eye. If he can play like this game after game then great. Keep him in . But after 90 odd caps we all know he just doesnt keep it going . By all means keep him there but the issue is that Borthwick will persist even when he plays poorly. Which is more often than not. Thats why i am concerned that Smith ,despite fab form , cannot get a game at his preferred spot. Can you imagine Ford at full back .
5 Go to commentsI do not really get why put Ollivon at 6 when he’s a 7, while Cros was the best Frenchman of the tournament, playing at…6. His only game replacing Aldritt at 8 doesn’t change much in terms of his impact. Lamaro was also outstanding in that brilliant Italian side, probably better than Reffell. So putting 2 Welsh players from the wooden spoon holders, and none of the 4th nation (Scotland) is also strange. Is it about showing that in this harsh transition Wales is, there were some standouts…?
6 Go to commentsThe events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
6 Go to commentsSteve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
44 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
6 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
4 Go to comments