Problem solver: Duncan Weir could be the answer to Scotland's fly-half question
Peter Wright isn’t accustomed to dishing out cheap compliments. So when the Glasgow Hawks coach starts talking about the merits of his teenage stand-off, Duncan Weir, who has just gained a professional contract with the Glasgow Warriors, we can take it as read that we are dealing with a special talent.
“The lad has been outstanding for us at Anniesland this season and he has a massive future, if he is looked after in the right way,” says Wright. “Duncan controls games wonderfully well, kicks penalties with an 80% success rate, he has an old head on young shoulders and he needs to be given every encouragement. People of his quality don’t come along too often in this sport.”
It has been a stratospheric rise to prominence for the 19 year-old but, there again, Weir specialises in breaking the mould. He went to school at Cathkin High in Glasgow and demonstrated enough soccer ability to play youth football at Dunfermline Athletic, Kilmarnock and Celtic, whilst sampling rugby as part of Cambuslang’s mini section. Yet, for all of last season, he was sidelined with a serious injury to his anterior cruciate ligament. That would have demoralised many youngsters in his shoes, not so the bold Mr Weir.
“I had to be patient, but I suppose I am a fairly down-to-earth person and that setback just made me more determined to enjoy rugby when I returned to the fold,” says Weir, a talkative character with a genuinely engaging personality which one hopes will be not be obliterated as he is absorbed into the professional culture in his homeland.
“I have also been fortunate that so many folk have done their best to help me, such as Scott Forrest [Scotland’s international sevens captain], who worked with me at Cambuslang, and Peter [Wright], who has given me my opportunity at Hawks and has encouraged me to play my natural game.
“When you grow up in Glasgow, you get used to kicking a ball around, and trying different tricks with it and, for me, the shape of the ball doesn’t really matter. If you get comfortable with it and keep practicing, it gives you the confidence to try things and Peter always tells us to trust our instincts. And it’s going fine so far.”
That is a classic piece of understatement. Even at this early stage of his development, Weir has become renowned for his idiosyncratic style and capacity for thinking on his feet. Hawks supporters grew accustomed to savouring his exploits and line breaks, which brought the youngster regular tries, a prodigious stream of penalties and conversions and one momentous 50 metre drop-goal, which evoked gasps from those around him.
There have been comparisons between him and Gregor Townsend and even John Rutherford’s name has been mentioned in dispatches, whilst Weir is currently benefiting from the experience of another fine Scotland number 10, Duncan Hodge. But, although he doesn’t pretend that he isn’t flattered by the rave reviews, he also appreciates that he is only into the first few paragraphs of being the finished article. The next step forward is the hard part.
“As a wee boy, you dream of playing for your country and I am no different from anybody else and I am definitely keen to make rugby a full-time career,” says Weir, who has already represented his country on the international Sevens circuit. “I enjoy playing at 10 and it is a position which gives you the chance to be adventurous and dictate the tempo. But there is plenty of competition for places among the young guys in the league and that means you can’t stand still.
“Of course, I follow Scotland and I know that there is a lot of talk about the stand-off berth. We only seem to have three main contenders [Dan Parks, Phil Godman and Ruaridh Jackson] at the moment. But I am keeping my feet on the ground – if I keep improving, I hope my chance will come, and I am already receiving a lot of help, both at Hawks and from the likes of Duncan Hodge.”
During the past decade, rugby has taken significant strides in preaching to the unconverted at clubs, such as Cambuslang, Falkirk, Howe of Fife and Currie. It is a process which hasn’t been without its hiccups and it doesn’t require Carol Vorderman to do the maths on the Scotland squad to notice the continuing public school influence. But the times are a-changing and Weir proves the grassroots graft is paying dividends.
