Scarlets' Murray to kick on from award-laden first season

When Scarlets signed Blair Murray from Canterbury in summer 2024, the New Zealander was quite the unknown.

Head coach Dwayne Peel knew they had a good footballer but admits he could not have imagined the impact Murray would have on his debut season.

The 23-year-old back scored 11 tries in 17 games for Scarlets, with his running threat making him an instant hit with fans.

It also earned him a Wales call, courtesy of his Welsh mother, scoring on his Test debut against Fiji and touted as a bolter for the British and Irish Lions.

In a miserable season for Welsh rugby he was a bright spark and while the Lions call never came, awards swiftly followed.

He was picked by his peers as Scarlets players' player of the year, named in the United Rugby Championship (URC) Elite XV before being named the Welsh Rugby Writers' young player of the year.

Unexpected honours

"I didn't really expect any of this to happen, so to be recognised as one of the up and coming players is a huge honour," Murray told BBC Sport Wales.

"As in everything, you get a bit of luck, things fall your way and you get game time.

"Being able to stay healthy was a huge part of it but also the coaches had belief in me and gave me the chance to get out there."

Commenting on his Lions links, Murray said it was the stuff of dreams.

"To start with, I wasn't worried about it and then as more and more people started saying it, it got in my head a little bit, but it's a huge honour just to even be part of the conversation," he said.

"Next tour I'll be 27 so hopefully I'll be able to push for a spot."

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So impressed has Murray been by the west Wales set-up, he has committed his future to Scarlets until 2028, albeit with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in consultation as to whether to cull two of the four professional regions.

He said: "I've really enjoyed my time here. We've got heaps of talent, we've just brought in Joe Hawkins who has looked really sharp and there are a lot of exciting young players coming through.

"Hopefully the boys stick around and we'll be able to keep growing as a group."

After all the plaudits, Murray is all too aware of second-season syndrome and said there is still more to come, including developing his kicking game - having began his early career as a fly-half - with the ambition of impressing new Wales coach Steve Tandy.

"He seems like a really good coach, I've only heard good things about him so it should be a really good opportunity," said Murray.

"The win [over Japan] lifted a weight off everyone's shoulders. Moving forward, we'll be able to play a bit more freely and express ourselves more. Hopefully that comes with more wins."*