Murphy Walker: After the tears comes new hope for Glasgow and Scotland prop

Tighthead went 512 days between Glasgow games

He’s only 24 but Murphy Walker has had more injuries than most suffer across their entire careers and it was understandable that he hesitated when asked about going on tour with Scotland this summer.

The Glasgow Warriors prop has long been earmarked as a player with Test-match credentials and has already had brief tastes of international rugby. But Walker is taking it one step at a time after making his first appearance for Glasgow in over 16 months last weekend.

He started Saturday’s URC clash against the Bulls in the heat and altitude at Loftus Versfeld and lasted 30 minutes before being hauled off with the rest of the front row, but he was just glad to be back playing.

Murphy Walker went 512 days between appearances for Glasgow Warriors following a succession of injuries. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

“Yeah, 512 days since the last game,” he said. “It was good, it was a strange day because I didn’t know how to feel before the game, it was almost like a debut again. I didn’t know whether to get nervous, excited, scared … all these emotions were flushed into one.”

Injuries to his neck, calf, quad and knee have conspired to limit his opportunities to show head coach Franco Smith what he can do but that didn’t stop the club offering him a new two-year deal last week and Walker now wants to repay the faith shown in him. It’s been a tough couple of seasons and tears have been shed but the new contract felt like a significant moment.

“I am obviously very grateful that Glasgow wanted to keep me on,” said Walker. “It was kind of a no-brainer for me. After the last couple of years I felt within myself that I owe something, not just to the coaches here but the fans and also the boys, to show that I want to contribute.”

“I did my neck in my Franco’s first year as coach and fought back this time last year,” explained Walker who worked tirelessly to regain fitness. “There was a little bit of yoga trying to get my neck right. I think most props will tell you about the neck stretching machine we have at Scotstoun, where you sit in this chair and it pulls your neck up, so I had to sit in that contraption every day and it helped me out.

“I tore my calf, then I was a week away from being fit to play against Leinster [in the opening game of this season], then tore my quad in a lineout session, which is kind of unheard of in rugby where you don’t really tear quads, it is more of a footballer’s injury.

“And then eight weeks after that I was a week away from being fit to play against Munster, so they wanted to get me some game-time against Edinburgh A, and 15 minutes into that I did the meniscus on my right knee, and that was genuinely one of the toughest moments of my life. I think it was the first time I have cried in front of the boys and in front of Franco in the physio room. All worth it now, I suppose.”

Gregor Townsend has been in touch and so too has Pieter de Villiers, the Scotland scrum coach, but Walker was understandably guarded when asked about the national team’s tour to North and South America.

“Obviously it would be amazing to go on the summer tour and get that recognition, but at the same time I’ve only played half an hour in the past year so it is nothing I am expecting,” he said.

“All I want to do with this re-signing is get back fit and get back playing well for Glasgow, and if Scotland come calling then that’s just a bonus – that’s just a cherry on top of the cake.”