MIKE BLAIR wanted the freedom to make the decision when to end his 10-year, 85-cap international career, and duly confirmed his retiral on Monday.
The 31-year-old, the most-capped Scotland scrum-half in history, is easily the youngest of four recent stalwarts of the Scotland team to quit the international game in the last year, following former Edinburgh team-mates Chris Paterson, Nathan Hines and Allan Jacobsen.
However, Blair, who captained Scotland 14 times and in 2008 became the only Scot to be nominated as IRB Player of the Year, saw the 2015 Rugby World Cup as a target too far away and with a new career in France, has opted to step down now.
There was no guarantee that Blair would be heavily involved in the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations anyway with the widespread belief that Greig Laidlaw will switch from fly-half to scrum-half. With Chris Cusiter injured and Rory Lawson out of the top flight at Newcastle, it’s something of an end to an era when Scotland had three quality candidates for the 9 shirt once filled by legends Rory Laidlaw and Gary Armstrong.
Only Paterson has won more caps as a back for Scotland than Blair, who also toured with the British and Irish Lions to South Africa in 2009.
“I’m in the very fortunate position of being able to decide myself when my international career ends and for me, that time is now,” he said.
“I have enjoyed immensely representing my country for more than 10 years and will miss that exhilarating feeling of running out to a capacity crowd with the whole country behind you.
“The noise when leading the team out for the first time as captain at Murrayfield against England in 2008, when we won 15-9, still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I think about it.
“I want to thank everyone my family, the Scotland management teams past and present, my team-mates and our supporters for their enormous contribution to my international career. I have been very fortunate to have these people around me.”
Blair came out of Edinburgh Academy, the Edinburgh Accies club and spent a decade with Edinburgh Rugby, culminating his career there with the crucial try in the Heineken Cup quarter-final upset against Toulouse last year.
He left for Brive in the French Second Division last year and his new career has played a part in his decision.
“There’s no doubt that moving our family to France has played a part,” he said. “But crucially for me a place in the squad at the Rugby World Cup in 2015 is not a realistic personal target and, with that in mind, it’s right that other players gain experience in such a pivotal position.
“The fact that I still feel attuned to playing at international level has made the decision harder but it’s not been reached lightly and I’m very confident it’s the right one.”
Blair, Cusiter and Lawson will always be bracketed together in Scottish rugby history but the Edinburgh man won by far the majority of starts and caps in their three-way duel for the number nine jersey.
Even in the recent autumn tests Blair was first choice for the matches against New Zealand and South Africa before missing the loss to Tonga in Aberdeen.
Scotland’s interim head coach Scott Johnson said: “There’s no doubt Mike’s a quality international rugby player and a quality bloke. I respect and understand his decision to retire from the international game now and, on behalf of all Scotland fans, thank him for his years of dedication to the national team.”
Blair’s former Edinburgh and Scotland team-mate, Scotland’s cap and points record-holder Paterson, led the tributes.
He said: “Mike was one of the most gifted and naturally skilful players I ever played alongside. He was razor-sharp in attack and his defence, especially when chasing back and cover tackling, showed how tough a player he was.
“I think he was involved in every match-day Scotland squad, when available for selection, for a decade which is a real reflection of how good a player Mike was a great Scottish internationalist.”
stscott@thecourier.co.uk