Craig Irvine out to write family history with Highland at Murrayfield
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SATURDAY presents Craig Irvine with a chance to rewrite a bit of painful family history.
The last time Highland played on the main pitch at Murrayfield, Irvine’s father Brian was head coach as they went down 39-17 to Morgan Academy in the BT Bowl 10 years ago and there is personal motivation for the stand-off to get one over on his old man.
Irvine junior cites his father as both his biggest critic and inspiration, with rugby-daft Brian passing on words of wisdom ahead of the family’s next big Murrayfield moment, the National Shield final against Carrick.
“On a personal level it would be nice to get one over on him and win,” jokes Irvine, whose bow at the national stadium will be just his fifth game of the season.
“He’s been giving me advice all week – he’s told me not to be thinking too much about where we are and try treat it as just another game. He’s tried to play it down and said not to let my emotions get too high. Go out there and enjoy it.
“My dad is one of these guys that eats and sleeps rugby, so he knows what he’s talking about. I take every bit of advice he gives me and try to improve my own game.”
Stories such as Highland’s always leave room for the unlikely or unheralded hero. Someone comes in from the fringes after having only a watching brief, only to produce the moment that will live long in the memory for generations to come.
Irvine is not far off reaching that platform. Five weeks ago, he was not even in the side, instead playing for Highland’s second-string. Now he is preparing for the biggest game of his career.
Regular stand-off Ruaridh MacDonald broke his leg in the National Shield semi-final win over North Berwick at the end of last month, with Irvine coming off the bench to kick the decisive conversion that edged Highland past the East Lothian side 25-24.
“I was never expecting to be here,” admitted Irvine, who works as a roads technician for the council’s policy, standards and safety team. “But I knocked over the conversion in the semi-final and I’ve managed to seize my opportunity from then.
“It was a brilliant feeling to kick the winning points – but that was quickly taken away when they went down the other end and got a penalty of their own. When the boy missed it, there was a mixture of ecstasy and relief.
“We’ve had Dunfermline, Glenrothes and Gordonians since then and they’ve all been tough, physical games. But it’s where I want to be, playing the best standard of rugby I can.”
More family will be on hand to witness the next chapter in his season’s story, with family coming from Hawick, Inverness and Shetland to hopefully catch Irvine’s next kick at glory.
Urging his team-mates to keep their heads at Murrayfield – which he concedes nearly led to their downfall against North Berwick – the 24-year-old, who celebrates his birthday a week today, sees no reason why Highland cannot bring more success back to Inverness.
“I think a lot of boys were thinking about what was at stake and that created errors in our game,” he said. “Hopefully the boys will try and treat it as just another game.
“It’s the biggest game in a lot of our careers and playing at the national stadium can be quite daunting. But I’m sure we’ll handle it.”
