page revision date: 7th August 2008
Craig plays for Wales – and Scotland!
Craig Moir is a very gifted rugby player who has a rare claim to fame because he played the oval ball game for Wales at schoolboy, under 19 and under 21 levels before gaining caps for Scotland ‘A’ and the Scottish senior side, with a first match against Wales at the Millennium Stadium!Craig is also the proud holder of a Heineken European Cup winners’ medal from his long stint with Northampton in the top echelon of English Rugby and is currently playing on the wing for Bedford after previously turning out for Borders, the Scottish regional side, for two years.
Craig was recently home in Milford Haven for a few days with his wife Louisa and daughters Annie and Ella, where he met up with PembrokeshireSport for a chat about his time at the top over the last 15 years.
Can you tell us a little about your early days in the game?
I played for Milford Haven School alongside the likes of Dean Hadley, Jamie Picton, Simon Jenkins and Shane Griffiths, winning my first Welsh Schools’ cap the same season as Karl Rhead captained the Welsh Schools at football from Milford. I played for Pembrokeshire at under 16 and under 18, captaining the under 18s in my last year, and I also played a few matches for Milford Haven, plus games at the Obs on Boxing Day in the Old Boys ‘friendly’, although Northampton didn’t know about that! Then I joined Llanelli and had a cap with the under 19s, plus eight Welsh caps at under 21 level, where I played alongside Gareth Thomas, Huw Harries and Spencer John. It was a smashing time where I also played a few games for the Scarlets first team, which was doing really well at the time under Gareth Jenkins as coach.
How did you link up with Northampton?
When I left school I went to college in Northampton and I played there before going to Franklyn Gardens to see if I could train with the under 21 squad. I fitted in well there and played for the second team for much of the season, scoring two tries on my debut and also being picked for the first team in a couple of friendlies, scoring a try against the Wasps in my first match. I played for the East Midlands’ team which won the Counties Cup Final for the age group and then I made the first team squad for the third year and got into the side to play against the likes of Leicester and Bedford in local derbies, as well as Bath, Harlequins, and Sale alongside the likes of Budge Pountney and Grant Sealey. I also played for the East Midlands against the Barbarians a few times – and they were memorable moments too!
What was the highlight there?
It was a brilliant time to be involved because in 1997 the club turned professional and so we were full time rugby players who trained every day and really got fit. Each day had specific sessions dealing with ball skills, tactics, ball retention, set moves and pre and post match analysis from the coaching staff. In 2000 we battled our way through the Heineken Cup, winning five of our six pool matches to reach the play off stages, beating London Wasps 25-22 in the quarter finals and Llanelli 31-28 in a nerve-wracking semi-final where a Paul Grayson penalty from literally the last kick of the match squeezed us through. It set up a final against Munster at Twickenham in front of almost 70,000 supporters – and once again Paul Grayson did the business with three penalties that allowed us to win 9-8 and pick up the biggest prize in European Rugby. I played alongside great players like Alan Bateman, Ben Cohen, Tim Rodber, Grayson, Pountney and skipper Pat Lamb and the celebrations with our fans afterwards showed what it meant to the club, where I spent nine very happy years.
What about playing for Scotland at this time?
It was the other wonderful experience that I had in this amazing time. Wales had let it be known that they wouldn’t consider players from teams outside the country and although I had turned out for the Welsh Sevens’ side in Tei Pei and Uruguay it meant that avenue was closed to me. At that time, Gregor Townsend was playing for Northampton and the coach was Ian McGeechan, both heavily involved in the Scottish set-up. When they found out that my dad Dave was Scottish and that I had been born in Aberdeen, before his work took us down to Milford Haven, they suggested that I think of representing Scotland. It was a big wrench to make the decision but I played for the Scottish Exiles in Portugal and was made very welcome. From there I played for Scotland ‘A’ about 14 times, including England, Ireland, France, Italy and Wales. Then I had a letter in the post and I thought it was to play again for the ‘A’ team, but this told me I was selected to play against Wales – at full international level!
Can you tell us what it was like?
There was a great deal of interest in the national press and Welsh radio covered it in Milford School, and when we arrived on the plane there were plenty of TV cameras too. We stayed at the Celtic Manor and trained in Newport – and on the day of the match I was very nervous but I will never forget walking out on the pitch beforehand and seeing such a huge sea of red and plenty of blue too. I marked will o’ the wisp Shane Williams and we lost, but one of the small details of the day is that I sang ‘Flower of Scotland’ but had to sing ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ in my head, rather than out loud!
What about other appearances with Scotland?
I played on a Scottish tour to South Africa but there were no caps awarded for those matches but I played two other matches, firstly against England at Murrayfield, another wonderful occasion where I marked my Northampton team mate and friend Ben Cohen. The atmosphere defied description and we beat England, a bit of an upset because it stopped them winning the Grand Slam. My other international came on tour in New Zealand where we played the All Blacks at Dunedin Park, home of the Highlanders. I’ll always remember facing the Haka although we had a bit of a thumping – and I had the dubious pleasure of marking Jonah Lomu. I thought I was fairly big at 15 stone eight pounds but he was awesome – as was Va’iga Tuigamala, another legend of the game I played against whom I would regard as a great man as well as a top player.
You’ve had plenty of highs in your career – what about disappointments?
The worst was in September 2000 when I was playing at Rotherham and sustained a double fracture of the tibia and dislocated my ankle, a career-threatening injury playing for Northampton and I was out for four months. It was awful but I managed to force my way back into contention. By then Ian McGeechan had gone back to Scotland and Wayne Smith took over at Northampton, two superb coaches, and I played again for Scotland ‘A’. The Borders were looking to recruit for the Scottish Regions set-up and I decided to accept an offer to move there to push my claims for selection.
What was it like in Scotland?
Brilliant – we were made very welcome and there were some big signings as we played most of our matches at Netherdale, in Gala. We lived in Montrose and I played alongside Gregor Townsend, Ritchie Metcalf and a couple of Kiwis as New Zealander Tony Gilbert was another very good coach. We did quite well at home but there was lots of travel and injuries mounted up so we weren’t as competitive as we would like to have been. Then the Scottish RU pulled the plug on financing and we had to look for new jobs!
Where did you find a club?
I joined Bedford, where Ruud Straulli was coach in Division One and although I had to switch to part-time it meant that I was closer to home. I’ve had four good years there, including Twickenham appearances in the final of the Shield competition of English Rugby, beating Plymouth the first season and losing to Harlequins the second year as well as coming second to them in the league. We’ve done well and I have enjoyed myself but at the end of this season my contract is up and we will be looking to move back as close to Pembrokeshire as possible to bring up the children here.
Have you any ambitions left?
Absolutely. I am a very fit 34 and feel I have plenty of games still left in me. I would also like to get involved in coaching and will be looking for a club who can use me on both fronts, if they wish. I have been very lucky in where I have played and met so many top players as team-mates or opponents. I wouldn’t have missed a moment of it and I am looking forward to whatever comes in rugby next because I relish the challenge!
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