EDINBURGH CENTRE Matt Scott insists retired Scotland scrum-half Mike Blair will go down as one of the nation’s greatest rugby players.
Record-breaking No 9 Blair retired from the international game on Monday after amassing 85 caps for his country more than any other Scotland scrum-half.
The 31-year-old made his decision following his summer switch from Edinburgh to Brive, claiming the stress that would come from travelling from France to play in the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations would be too much for his young family.
However, former Murrayfield team-mate Scott is confident Blair’s legacy is already set in stone.
He said: “Mike will go down as one of Scotland’s all-time greats. He has 85 caps more than any other Scotland scrum-half and captained his country too.
“He was also nominated for the world player of the year a few years back and I don’t think any other Scotsman can say they’ve done the same, so there’s no doubt that he will probably be remembered as the best scrum-half we’ve ever had.
“It’s a shame he has decided to step down from the international game but travelling from France to play in the Six Nations is a big ask for him and his family and I can understand his reasons.
“I text him to say all the best because he’s a guy I admire and a really nice person too. However, there’s no doubt he’ll be a big loss to Scotland.”
Blair’s departure from the capital has coincided with a massive downturn in Edinburgh’s fortunes.
Michael Bradley’s side stormed to the semi-finals of last season’s Heineken Cup before losing to Ulster but this term has been a complete nightmare.
They sit bottom of Group 1 without a single point and lost their first two games against Saracens and Munster by a combined score of 78-0.
Things have hardly improved since then and they are enduring a five-game losing streak, which included a morale-crushing double defeat to rivals Glasgow.
With Munster in town on Sunday for their Heineken Cup return, 22-year-old Scott admits Blair’s departure at the end of last season hardly helped their cause.
The Dunfermline-born back, who has added seven Scotland caps to his name since making his bow in last year’s Six Nations, said: “Mike was such a big influence both on and off the pitch. I wouldn’t say him leaving is why we are in our current position but it didn’t help.
“I suppose you never notice how good a player is until they leave and we have found that with Mike.
“But there are other factors involved in our poor run. We lost the game to Saracens by 45-0 and that really put a huge dent in our confidence.”