Scotland's Scott Gray in action for Northampton in the English Premiership © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

News: Boks can handle Du Preez blow

News: White after Springbok scalp

News: Blair wary of improved Boks

News: Blair calls for ruthless streak

Preview: Scotland v South Africa - Match Pack

Matches: Scotland 10 - 14 South Africa

Players/Officials: Scott Gray

Teams: Scotland | South Africa

Scotland flanker Scott Gray grew up losing to South Africans - so is doubly determined to beat his childhood tormentors at Murrayfield tomorrow.

Northampton star Gray was born in Zimbabwe, where he regularly played rugby for Peterhouse College against schoolboy teams south of the border. He tasted defeat far more often than he would have liked and was not enamoured with the attitude of his opponents.

Indeed, when the time came for him to continue his rugby education outside Zimbabwe, Gray snubbed the chance to join South Africa's renowned Stellenbosch University, opting instead to move to Australia. He said: "We used to play against schools in South Africa. We would get beaten by them quite regularly and I found them to be quite arrogant, so I didn't want to go there."

Gray's career path took in spells in both union and league Down Under but he always had ambitions to represent Scotland, his father's country of birth. After joining Bath in 2004 he realised his dream, making his Test debut against Australia. But after dropping off the international radar at National League One Doncaster he had to wait until last weekend to earn his second cap, coming off the bench in the 32-6 defeat to New Zealand.

Should he take to the field tomorrow, he could come up against a fellow Peterhouse old boy who had no such qualms moving to South Africa. Gray had left the college by the time Springboks prop Tendai Mtawarira - known as The Beast - started there but revealed the pair's old rugby coach has been looking forward to the prospect of his former pupils facing off.

"Hopefully I'll get on when he's still on the field," added Gray, whose family members in South Africa will put aside their Springboks allegiance to cheer him on. I said to them already, 'Who are you supporting this weekend?' and they've given me the old, 'Blood is thicker than water' line and said, 'Good luck, we hope you win'.

"It would mean more to me to beat them than anything, just to get one up on the South Africans. I've always watched them play and actually to go up against them is like a dream."

Gray will be hoping his emotions do not get the better of him after revealing he was almost overwhelmed at earning his second cap more than four years after making his debut. He said: "When I went out on the field, it was absolutely unbelievable. The atmosphere was just tingling. We had a minute's silence and, when we were waiting, I started to get quite emotional because I couldn't help but start thinking of my journey, where I'd been and that I'd finally got back here.

"I can remember very vividly standing there four years previously. Then I had to start trying to fight those emotions away and just concentrate on what I had to do. It did feel like my first Test all over again."

Gray was unable to prevent a defeat to the All Blacks, who taught their hosts a lesson in clinical finishing. but the flanker did enough to keep his place on the bench tomorrow. He said: "Hopefully, this time I'll be able to enjoy it a little bit more because I'll feel a little bit more familiar with it."