Empty Murrayfield is ‘surreal’ but that will not bother the players
FORMER Scotland and Edinburgh winger Tim Visser insists playing at an empty BT Murrayfield will be no problem for players when rugby returns.
And he believes they will simply be so relieved to be back in competitive action again that the absence of fans in the 67,000-capacity venue will not bother them.
Responding to revelation that the Scottish game is set to return with a bang with an Edinburgh-Glasgow Warriors Pro14 double header at the national stadium in August, Visser admits it will be a ‘surreal’ experience for both sides.
But he said: ‘The players will realise it is the only way to go if we want the game to return after coronavirus.
‘For me, a game of rugby is a game of rugby, whether it is played on a public park or inside a stadium without fans. You do the same things, which is concentrate on the game, on your performance, and do your best.
‘Of course, you don’t want matches played behind closed doors for too long, but the players will be okay with it.
‘Based on my own experience, it is something they will only notice when play stops, but they will be relieved to be back out there on the pitch more than anything.’
Visser knows first-hand how strange it feels to play at an empty Murrayfield.
He featured in a ‘ghost’ game there in December 2010 when Edinburgh defeated Castres 24-22 in the Heineken Cup.
‘We had been due to play on the Saturday and there was lots of ice on the roads and paths, so the game was called off for safety reasons in case fans injured themselves coming to the match or inside the stadium,’ recalled Visser (below).
‘We had already arranged our Christmas party for that Saturday night and were in two minds about whether to go ahead with it or not as we knew there would be efforts made to play the game later, with the Castres players being told to stay in Edinburgh.
‘When we found out the game would be on the Monday rather than the Sunday, we went ahead with our Saturday night out but didn’t drink.’ European rugby chiefs confirmed the game would definitely go ahead on the Monday thanks to Murrayfield’s undersoil heating.
But fans were not allowed to attend due to the treacherously icy ‘footprint’ around the stadium and its surrounds.
‘At least we could all go home to our own beds that weekend but I felt a bit sorry for the Castres players who were stuck in their hotel near Edinburgh Zoo, so close to Christmas without their families,’ said Visser. ‘It was an easier build-up for us.’ The game itself was one that has stuck in Visser’s mind. ‘There was hardly anybody out on the roads and there was nobody around apart from the security people on the gate when we arrived at Murrayfield,’ said the winger, who retired from rugby last year at the age of 32, having won 33 caps and scored 14 tries for Scotland.
‘We were laughing and joking when we ran out the tunnel because there was absolutely no noise and no fans but the minute the game started we went into our professional bubbles.
‘I think it was about 15 minutes in when I got the first try of the game and shouted out in celebration, and so did my team-mates, but that was it. There was no other sound whatsoever in the stadium.
‘That didn’t bother me or the team, it didn’t make much of a difference when the game was going on. The only time my concentration was tested was when there was an injury or play was stopped. I would look around and it was surreal to see not a single fan in the ground. There was just empty space and no sound.’
It was a shame no supporters were there to watch what was an exciting, close-run affair.
Visser’s try was the pick of the bunch as he picked the ball up near the 10-metre line then stepped in and then outside the Castres defence before bursting away up the touchline for the score. A try from Lee Jones gave Edinburgh a 14-10 lead at half-time.
After Greig Laidlaw was sin-binned, however, the French side were awarded a penalty try and then got another through
Sebastien Tillous-Borde. A penalty from David Blair, on for the injured Chris Paterson, kept Edinburgh in the hunt but they were still five points down with four minutes left.
Then a kick from Blair split the visiting defence, allowing replacement Simon Webster to take advantage. With the scores tied, Blair put over the conversion to win the game for the home side.
‘It was still a great feeling winning as that was our first win of our Heineken Cup campaign that year,’ said Visser.
‘But it was weird that when Simon scored, and at the final whistle, the only ones celebrating were us. You could hear every word we were saying.’