Edinburgh Rugby head coach Michael Bradley today joined the tributes to legendary full-back Chris Paterson, following the record-breaking Borderer’s decision to retire from international rugby.
The most capped Scotsman in the history of the game, with 109 caps, amassed a record number of points for his country (809) in his 12 year international rugby career, which began against Spain in the 1999 Rugby World Cup – his first of four global tournaments, another record for the fans’ favourite.
Edinburgh Rugby head coach, Michael Bradley, said: “Chris Paterson is, and always has been, an exceptional athlete and a true servant of Scottish rugby. He has inspired thousands of youngsters to play rugby in Scotland with his outstanding on-field talent and off-field attitude.
“He is a model professional, whose dedication and commitment to the sport has kept him in peak physical and mental condition, allowing him to sustain a long and illustrious international career.
“Although Chris [Paterson] has called time on his international career, he will continue to contribute an incredible amount to Edinburgh Rugby, on and off the field, as an extremely valued player and as an exemplary professional example to the many talented youngsters at the club whose ambitions are to emulate his incredible achievements, in the Black and Red of Edinburgh Rugby and the navy blue of Scotland.”
In an exclusive interview with www.scotlandrugbyteam.org Paterson said: “I’ve always said I wanted to bow out at the highest level of the game, while I still had the ability to go on.
“It was a massive goal for me to play for Scotland at my fourth Rugby World Cup, especially after the injury on the day of my 100th cap.
“I did get to New Zealand, not only that, I felt I played well and my final game, against England at Eden Park, was a special occasion, a brilliant atmosphere and such an intense game.
“Since coming back (from the RWC) I’ve had a while to think about it and I believe now is the right time to make my decision, especially when I’ve still been playing well at that level.
“My biggest fear would be devaluing what I have achieved and devaluing the jersey. You have to stop at some point and this is the right time for me.
“My ambition was to experience what I’d watched both at Murrayfield and on the TV when I was growing up. I wanted to know what that felt like and desperately wanted to make a good job of it and I’m so lucky to have done that 109 times.”
His longevity in international rugby has been all the more remarkable when the era has been characterised by physicality, power and big athletes and his return from the kidney injury that he sustained on the day of his 100th cap against Wales, yet again epitomised his single-minded determination to strive for the next game and improvement.
“That’s always been my focus – to think about the next game. Now I’ll be able to look back. Ian McGeechan always said that as a player you don’t own the jersey, you just fill it for the time you’re lucky enough to have that duty and you seek to make the people who filled it before you proud and also your family, friends and supporters proud,” added Paterson.
Scotland head coach Andy Robinson said: “What a fantastic career Chris has had for Scotland. He should be celebrated as one of Scotland’s greatest ever internationalists.
“I respect his decision and thank him for all he has done. Having coached against him, he was a player I always ear-marked as a real threat. Coaching him has been a delight, primarily because of his many attributes, not least that constant desire to get better.”
Edinburgh Rugby head coach Michael Bradley today joined the tributes to legendary full-back Chris Paterson, following the record-breaking Borderer’s decision to retire from international rugby.
His longevity in international rugby has been all the more remarkable when the era has been characterised by physicality, power and big athletes and his return from the kidney injury that he sustained on the day of his 100th cap against Wales, yet again epitomised his single-minded determination to strive for the next game and improvement.