Murrayfield opportunity

KIERAN Low is not one to beat about the bush. The 22-yearold was born in the south of England and grew up in Chichester with a Welsh-born father and mother who hails from Scunthorpe, but if he is handed an opportunity to stride out on to Murrayfield this autumn, one that he never grew up dreaming of, it will be the highlight of his life so far.

Unlike some who come to Scotland looking for international honours and prove their allegiance with tales of childhood dreams of wearing the navy blue, despite having grown up in another country, Low is blunt and admits the reason he chose Scotland over England, or indeed Wales, was simply because Scott Johnson, the interim head coach, offered him the chance to play Test rugby before anyone else did.

“It was a pretty easy decision to make,” he said. “I grew up in England and so was part of the English system until a couple of years ago, but always knew I was Scottish qualified. I was thinking about Scotland at the end of last season, but then they got in touch with me and asked if I would be interested in throwing my lot in with Scotland and I said I’d love to.”

The connection is not without emotion. He is qualified to play for Scotland through his paternal grandfather Wilfred Henry Low, who was born in Dingwall, though he is aware of some Irish heritage, too, but that may go back further than the grandparents rule.

“My family going back are from all over Britain and Ireland,” he said. “I’ve always known that my grandfather was Scottish because he lived in the same place as us, and he had some stereotypical Scottish traits – I couldn’t understand him sometimes and he liked his whisky!

“Unfortunately, he passed away before we got the chance