With Warriors

“He’s also a good set-piece forward, he can scrummage well and he’s a good operator in the line-out.

“He’s also versatile. We’ve seen at Racing that he can also play in the back row and at No.8, he’s done that a few times for them. He’s a strong, flexible player.”

He was a key part of Glasgow’s PRO12-winning squad in 2015, particularly in the final where his outrageous offloading skills caught Munster out time and time again.

It didn’t work only for Glasgow, though. The following season, he was part of Fiji’s Olympic gold medal-winning sevens squad and his second season with Racing saw him crowned as European player of the season after his exploits helped power the club to the Champions Cup final.

His troubles in Paris became public, however, when he was late returning to Paris from the Rugby World Cup after going home to Fiji and the French side got rid of him.

“I think it is tough for guys from Fiji when they go away to World Cups and stuff,” Murray remarked.

“They are big family people and they like to go home.

It is not just like a small family over there when they go back.

“We were always aware of that and we tried to give him a bit of extra time at times.

“It’s the same with Niko. At the end of the day they [Racing] have their own standards.

“We’re hopeful we can get him here and engage him well enough so that we won’t have that issue with him.”

Certainly news of his signing would come as a significant boost for the club in a big week for them as they plan for the return match against La Rochelle, where they probably need not just win but a four-try bonus point as well.

“It’s six really tough games on the spin if you include La Rochelle,” Murray added.

“So, if anything is going to happen, we want to get it done in days – not weeks.

“It’s no secret there’s interest from us. It just comes down to whether a deal can be agreed and whether Leone is keen on it.”

„ This weekend’s match against La Rochelle is being used to support the foodbank in Whiteinch and Glasgow Warriors are encouraging fans coming to the game to bring items they can donate to the cause.

FINLAY CALDER

If I recall correctly the game of rugby football turned professional, after a hastily convened International Rugby Board Meeting, during the World Cup in South Africa in 1995.

The word was that Australian Media mogul Kerry Packer had just landed in the Republic intent on taking the game professional, forcing difficult, uncomfortable, decisions to be taken.

The group gathered had to decide whether to take control of the game or lose control.

With that as the background, let’s not kid ourselves, the last 25 years have proved to be immensely draining in Scotland as well-meaning men and women have attempted to hold us within the top 10 rugby-playing nations of the world.

But, having tumbled out at the qualifying stages of the most recent World Cup, we now find ourselves slipping into the alsoran category.

Harsh? Surely no-one could argue that we were thoroughly mauled by Ireland first up in Japan, to be then outplayed and fairly beaten by the host nation in the last game of the pool stages.

Collectively, we all need to face facts that, unless we pull together, we risk being cut lose from the leading pack.

A friend contacted me on Sunday night to ask me what the “Gammell/Murray” report really meant to those who hold the game in Scotland close to their hearts?

I explained it to him as thus. Imagine trying to run a “plc” entity with all meaningful decisions taken by the shareholders once a year at the AGM? The business is strangled on a day-to-day basis, resulting in investors becoming wary and weary.

So the clubs have been asked to either endorse the many recommendations made in the

Gammell/ Murray report to split the game into two arenas – Professional and Development, and Domestic – or hold onto the status quo.

So, what is the status quo at club level in Scotland?

Almost without exception clubs are short of players, short of volunteers and, in the main, short of cash. There are simply far too many clubs and not nearly enough players to go round.

A Rugby Development Board – with club rugby people, nominated by the clubs based on their appropriate skills and expertise – is a positive step.

The new structure would put the domestic game in the hands of a board whose single-minded focus would be to enhance, develop and encourage club rugby for men and women, boys and girls.

Yes, it would have to fight for resources to grow the game but it would have control of its own budget and vision for the club game.

Growing the game and encouraging more young people into rugby is essential. More young players will mean a greater chance of someone becoming a representative player on the national stage. That would be a positive case to make – invest in the grass roots of rugby.

This is an opportunity, even if not everything pleases you, to endorse the Gammell/ Murray proposals. I’m not aware of any alternatives.

If we don’t grasp the opportunity we could face another 25 years of trying to keep Scotland in the top echelons of the global game.

I don’t want to take that chance, nor I’m sure will anybody else who has the good of the Scottish game at heart.