Border Telegraph | Sport | Scholarship reward for former Gala player

Saturday, 26th July, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 7th May, 2008 12:00

Scholarship reward for former Gala player

By Atholl Innes

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FORMER Gala player Roddy Grant 21 has been named as the recipient of this season’s John Macphail Scholarship.

Grant, who moved to Heriot’s and the National Academy, hopes to follow in the footsteps of another young openside who used the scholarship opportunity as a stepping stone to the coveted Scotland jersey.

The scholarship will enable Grant – who recovered from reconstructive knee surgery at the start of the season to return to the international 7s circuit – to spend his summer playing club rugby in Auckland, New Zealand.

Grant, whose grandfather Bob and great-uncle George were both international referees, and who played age-grade water-polo for South Africa, said: “After a long hard slog and disappointments with injury to have this on the horizon now is an unbelievable feeling.”

“It puts it into perspective when you see what John has achieved. I know this scholarship will benefit me and I’m just so enthusiastic to get out there.”

Grant (no mention of Gala was made in the SRU press release) played eight games for the Maroons in 2005-06 and 14 matches last season before being injured.

The first recipient of the scholarship was John Barclay, then a fresh-faced school-leaver from Dollar Academy in 2005.

Barclay blossomed playing club rugby in Wellington, New Zealand and the experience provided the impetus for him to win a professional contract with Glasgow Warriors and, eventually, make his Scotland debut against the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup last September.

John Macphail won two caps for Scotland as a hooker against England in 1949 and South Africa in 1951.

In his business career he was chief executive then chairman of the Edrington Group, a private company that is owned by the Robertson Trust.

Mr Macphail died in the summer of 2004 and his family and the trustees were keen to establish a scholarship in his memory.

Grant played for Natal Schools in 2004 and 2005 and captained Hilton College’s first XV in 2005 as well as being in Natal Sharks’ high-performance squad.

He joined Border Reivers in summer 2006 as an apprentice, and the following January he made his debut for the professional team as a substitute in the Magners League match against Newport Gwent Dragons.

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