Scotland Rugby
Paterson hails "great" Blair
ESPN Staff
January 8, 2013
Mike Blair won 85 caps for Scotland
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Chris Paterson hailed Mike Blair as a Scotland great after the former national team captain retired from the international stage. Blair called time on his career at the age of 31 after amassing 85 caps, a record for a Scotland scrum-half. The former Edinburgh captain revealed his decision was based mainly on family reasons and a desire to see Scotland introduce new scrum-half talent before the 2015 World Cup. And his former club and country team-mate Paterson paid tribute to his friend's 10-year contribution to Scotland. Paterson, Scotland's record points scorer and cap holder, said: "Mike was one of the most gifted and naturally skilful players I ever played alongside. His ability to read a game and make the correct decision was brilliant. "He was razor-sharp in attack and his defence, especially when chasing back and cover tackling, showed how tough a player he was. "I think he was involved in every match-day Scotland squad, when available for selection, for a decade, which is a real reflection of how good a player Mike was - a great Scottish internationalist." © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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