Kenny Murray (rugby union) explained

Kenny Murray
Birth Name:Kenny Murray
Birth Date:4 September 1973
Birth Place:Glasgow, Scotland[1]
Ru Position:Fly-half
Coachteams1:Cartha Queens Park
Coachteams2:Scottish Rugby Union (Reg. Development)
Coachteams3:Ayr RFC
Coachteams4:Glasgow Warriors (Asst.)
Coachteams5:Scotland U20
Coachyears1:-2006
Coachyears2:2006-08
Coachyears3:2008-13
Coachyears4:2013-22
Coachyears5:2022-
Amatyears1:- 2001
Amatyears2:2001
Amatteam1:Cartha Queens Park
Amatteam2:Whitecraigs
School:Crookston Castle Secondary

Kenny Murray (born 4 September 1973 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish rugby union coach. He is currently the Head coach of the Scotland U20 team.[2] He was previously an Asst. Coach at Glasgow Warriors.[3] As a player he played at Fly-half.

Rugby Union career

Playing career

Amateur career

Murray played for Cartha Queens Park.[4]

He moved to Whitecraigs in 2001.[5]

Coaching career

Cartha Queens Park

After playing, at the age of 30, he became the Head Coach of Cartha Queens Park[6] until 2006.

An ambitious coach he was keen on a Glasgow Warriors incentive which saw Donnie Macfadyen, John Barclay and Tim Barker train his Cartha players on clearing out skills and dealing with the ball on ground.[7]

"I think it's an excellent initiative. To have input at our session from guys who are playing at the professional level will be great for our players, especially given that we can get specific help on the areas we'd like to concentrate on most. Seeing the different levels of the game working together is really encouraging for rugby in Glasgow."[7]

He guided Cartha through a series of promotions through the Scottish national leagues.[8]

He won Scotland's Coach of the Season in 2006.

Scottish Rugby Union

He left Cartha in 2006 to become a Regional Development Officer at the SRU. This job precluded coaching any rugby teams to maintain neutrality and Murray became frustrated at the lack of a coaching role. He quit in 2008.

Ayr

In 2008, he moved to Ayr Rugby Club as head coach. Under his leadership, in his first season 2008–09, Ayr won the Premier Division for the first time in its history.[9] They won the Scottish Cup in 2009–10 and again in 2010–11.

In the 2010–11 season, Murray guided Ayr to the Quarter finals of the British and Irish Cup, so far the only Scottish side to get this far.[10]

In 2012–13, Ayr scooped a League and Cup double by winning the Premier Division and the Scottish Cup. They also won the Bill McLaren Shield and the RBS West Cup in that season. He was deemed the most successful coach in the Scottish club game.[8]

Glasgow Warriors

He joined Glasgow Warriors in July 2013 as an Assistant Coach.[11]

In 2014, Murray was awarded the John MacPhail coaching scholarship to study New Zealand rugby coaching.[12]

In 2015, it was announced that Murray would study for the new UKCC Level 4 coach qualification at Edinburgh's Napier University.[13]

He was a key note speaker at the National Coaches Conference in 2015, lecturing to 130 youth and adult coaches from across Scotland.[14]

On 19 June 2017, Murray was one of the first Scottish coaches to graduate from the Napier University course.[15]

Scotland U20s

Murray moved from Glasgow Warriors to take the Head Coach role of the Scotland U20 team. As part of this role he was also given the title of Head of Player Transition.[16] [17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kenny Murray - Glasgow Warriors. Glasgowwarriors.org.
  2. Web site: Kenny Murray expects Super6 experience to benefit Scotland Under-20s .
  3. Web site: Kenny Murray hails Gregor Townsend's approach to young Warriors (From Herald Scotland) . Heraldscotland.com . 2015-07-22.
  4. Web site: Kenny Murray says farewell to Ayr Rugby Club. Dailyrecord.co.uk. 8 August 2013.
  5. Web site: club scene: whitecraigs. https://web.archive.org/web/20181119215655/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23855592.html. dead. 19 November 2018. John. Beattie. 15 September 2001. 17 December 2018. Highbeam.com.
  6. Web site: Warriors help out at coaching sessions . Glasgow Warriors . 2015-07-22.
  7. Web site: Warriors Talk Tactics With Clubs - Scottish Rugby Union. Scottishrugby.org.
  8. Web site: Proven winners such as Murray and Solomons can boost Scottish rugby. HeraldScotland.
  9. Web site: Kenny Murray joins Glasgow Warriors' coaching team (From Herald Scotland) . Heraldscotland.com . 2015-07-22.
  10. Web site: Bristol 29 - 19 Ayr: Scots side shine in B&I Cup defeat at Bristol . The Scotsman . 2011-03-06 . 2015-07-22.
  11. Web site: Warriors appoint Kenny Murray as new assistant coach . Glasgow Warriors . 2015-07-22.
  12. Web site: Macphail Scholarship for Kenny Murray . Glasgow Warriors . 2015-07-22.
  13. Web site: New prestigious coaching qualification for Scotland's top coaches . Sportscotland.org.uk . 2015-07-06 . 2015-07-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150715031345/http://www.sportscotland.org.uk/news/sportscotland/2015/new-prestigious-coaching-qualification-for-scotland%E2%80%99s-top-coaches/ . 2015-07-15 .
  14. Web site: Coaching Chronicle. Scottishrugby.org. 17 December 2018.
  15. Web site: Scotland's top coaches graduate with prestigious qualification - Scottish Rugby Union. www.scottishrugby.org.
  16. Web site: Kenny Murray appointed as Head of Player Transition .
  17. Web site: Kenny Murray to coach Scotland Under-20s as part of new role at Murrayfield . 18 January 2022 .