DODDIE WEIR EXCLUSIVE
Scots great Weir remaining philosophical as he vows to keep on smiling after coming to terms with MND diagnosis
IT IS a wet, overcast afternoon in the west end of Edinburgh but, like a beacon, Doddie Weir enlightens the day as he emerges in one of his trademark colourful tartan suits.
He is on duty, opening a new tartan clothing and interior shop owned by a friend.
‘Just my sort of stuff,’ he says, resplendent in the outfit made especially for him from the MacFarlane tartan. ‘Fantastic shop full of tartan. I love it. They make my tartan suits and are a Borders company, so it is great to see them doing so well.’
It is, in all honesty, great to see Weir doing so well. Smiling and doing what he does best. It is a matter of weeks since he shocked the rugby world and his fans across the country with his diagnosis of motor neurone disease (MND).
‘I announced I had motor neurone disease when I was out of the country with the family following the Lions in New Zealand and I have been humbled by the response and support I have had,’ Weir told Sportsmail.
‘I had known I had it for some time before and will always thank the NHS in recognising then diagnosing what was wrong. It was tough to accept obviously to begin with but I now look on it as the hand I have been dealt.
‘I am going to get on with things and keep smiling.’
Weir remains a towering, largerthan-life figure and as he walks towards Haymarket railway station with his wife Kathy, a well-wisher quickly recognises him and stops to shake his hand.
In New Zealand, All Blacks fans and the Lions’ red army would seek him out to pledge support to his charity efforts on behalf of motor neurone disease research.
That he told the world on Global MND Awareness Day was, of course, no coincidence. Weir is determined that his own situation raises awareness of the disease.
He is fully focused on his charitable foundation and talks with enthusiasm and vigour about the work that lies ahead.
‘It is going well and the support we have got for it has been overwhelming,’ said Weir. ‘There are events coming up and it is something I am heavily involved in.
‘We are trying to make a difference and raise awareness and since we came back to Scotland I have seen first-hand the huge support through fundraising efforts the charity is getting.’
Weir has given his full support to the Euan MacDonald Centre at the University of Edinburgh, which is trying to better understand MND in the hope that it will lead to new therapies.
The Centre was set up in 2007 by Donald MacDonald, CBE, a leading Scottish businessman, and his son Euan, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2003 when he was 29 years old.
Weir is backing research into trying to tackle the degenerative condition, which occurs when specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord stop functioning properly. It leads to muscle weakness, loss of mobility and difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing. There remains no cure or effective treatment.
South Africa’s World Cup winning scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen, a contemporary of Weir’s on the field, bravely fought his own battle against MND and visited the centre in 2013 to share knowledge and expertise. He sadly lost his fight and tragically died last February.
Weir retains his sense of determination and is reluctant to dwell too much on his own situation. Sympathy for his plight will be batted away. He wants to focus on his charity work and his continued love for the game that he graced.
‘The rugby family has been brilliant in their support for me and the charity, as has the wider community as well,’ he said.
The trip to New Zealand then with his wife and three boys offered him the chance to immerse himself among former players, team-mates and those who will always bestow on him heroic status.
‘We all had a great time down in New Zealand,’ he says with his trademark smile. ‘I met up with folk like John Bentley, who I played with in the Lions touring team to South Africa in 1997. Then there was Craig Chalmers, who I had a laugh with.’
HE added: ‘Also Sean Fitzpatrick, John Kirwan and Will Greenwood. I had my 47th birthday out there with the family and we all loved being out there.
‘Rugby-wise, the Lions drawing the series against the All Blacks over there was a big shot in the arm for northern hemisphere rugby, despite no Scots being involved in any of the Test teams.
‘Stuart Hogg would have started if he had been fit, I am sure of that. Also I thought Tommy Seymour had a great tour and was unlucky to miss out.
‘What stopped Scotland having more in the original tour party was that big defeat to England at Twickenham in the Six Nations. Warren Gatland would have watched that defeat and had concerns that Scotland struggled to win away.
‘So few Scots on tour was disappointing — but what a tour!,’ said Weir. ‘I look on the drawn series as a moral victory for the Lions. The All Blacks are the No 1 team in the world and a side that had been together for a while and had lots of time to prepare.
‘For the Lions under Gatland to come away from the country that is accepted as the toughest to win international matches with a win and a draw is superb, especially as before lots of people didn’t give the Lions a chance.’
Weir remains confident the Scotland team is in safe hands with his former cap colleague and 1997 Lions team-mate Gregor Townsend in charge and are in with a chance of beating New Zealand at home in November.
‘Gregor will bring a new lease of life to Scottish rugby,’ he insisted. ‘Vern Cotter laid the foundations, and I thought he did a great job, but Gregor can take things to a new level. He brought the best out of the players at Glasgow who now make up the bulk of the Scotland squad and that will help him improve the team in the autumn Tests and the Six Nations.
‘I hope to be at Murrayfield to see Gregor’s first home game in charge of Scotland come November when they play Samoa and also the following matches against New Zealand and Australia.
‘The All Blacks play France first before taking on Scotland the following Saturday and the sold-out crowd at Murrayfield should dare to dream that they can be beaten.
‘Scotland have never beaten New Zealand but you have got to dream, haven’t you? Otherwise you are beaten before you set foot on the pitch.
‘The Lions showed the All Blacks can be defeated. Ireland beat them, too. So that is two defeats they have had lately, so why shouldn’t we dream Scotland can do it too?’
With that Weir is off, heading towards Waverley Station. His path remains full of well-wishers anxious to shake his hand. Each is greeted with a smile. The spirit remains strong.