Souters looking to put Cat among the pigeons
CATALIN-ANDREI GRAUR is welcomed to philiphaugh by the selkirk RFC coaching staff
ROMANIAN prop Catalin-Andrei Graur (Cat for short) will be looking to make a big impact at Philiphaugh during the coming season.
The 23-year-old arrived in Scotland last Wednesday and met up with his new team-mates for the first time at Thursday’s training session.
Graur has already had first-hand experience of playing rugby in the UK after a season with English Midlands side Coventry and says he is now ready to take up a new challenge north of the border. It is expected he will make his debut for Selkirk at some point during tomorrow’s friendly against Peebles at Philiphaugh (3pm).
His home club in Romania is RCJ Farul Constanta. In 2007 he was a member of the Romanian team which competed at the IRB’s Under-19 World Rugby Championships in Ireland and he has also represented his country at under-20 level.
“Selkirk is very different from the city of Constanta where I come from, which has around 380,000 inhabitants,” he said.
“However, I like my new surroundings very much and all the people I have met from the rugby club have made me feel very welcome. I’m sure I’m going to enjoy my rugby here.”
Graur has a degree in sports science from the University of Constanta and while living in Coventry completed a gym instructor’s qualification.
Selkirk head coach Brian Cassidy said it was essential to have plenty of front row cover in the Philiphaugh squad and was confident Graur would fit in well with the other players.
“He’s here to do a job for us and knows he’ll be expected to work extremely hard over the coming months – exactly the same as we expect from all Selkirk players,” said Cassidy, adding: “Language could prove a wee bit tricky – that’s him understanding me, by the way, and not the other way around.”
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Weather for Selkirk
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: North west
