Interview with Brendan McKerchar by Andrew Hunter

Tell us about your educational experiences at St Mary’s, Melrose, and at Merchiston, Edinburgh. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at both St Mary’s and Merchiston. I remain forever grateful to parents and grandparents for making the sacrifices to fund such an education. I was provided with great opportunities and support in all aspects of life and have some fantastic memories.

Who inspired you? How and why?

When I was younger Bryan Redpath was my main inspiration. He played for Melrose my home club in the Scottish Borders and was scrum half for Scotland for a number of years. It was mainly because he was always the smallest player on the field but often the best and most influential. At St Mary’s Robert Common the Headmaster and Ian Purves at that time a gap student now a teacher. Charles Swan and Julian Vaughan had a huge influence on me when I was at Merchiston. This was for a number of reasons but mainly because they highlighted to me that paying attention to detail in what you do really matters and usually makes the difference, along with instilling a stubborn determination in my approach to challenges both on and off the sports field. Latterly it has been Steve Bates who was my head coach at the Border Reivers because of his sheer enthusiasm and positivity, insightful ideas and shrewd intelligence.

You finished your time at Merchiston as Captain of School. What did you learn about leadership and how have you used this particular experience since you left School?

I learnt that often it is not what you say but what you do and how you do it which leads to the biggest response from your peers. I also learnt about the importance of communication and the significance of delegating responsibility because I know I always want to give my best in anything that I do as anyone does but sometimes spreading yourself too thinly can lead to underachievement. Since leaving Merchiston I have captained the Durham University 1 st XV and Scotland U21 against New Zealand Youth which I guess shows that the role of head boy prepared me for leadership challenges of a larger scale.

You embarked upon a degree at the University of Durham. What did you read and what did you learn from this experience? How did you balance academic achievement with sporting endeavour?

I read for a BSc (Hons) Biology which was tough, very tough in fact but I got through it by managing my time as best I could and with the help of some understanding tutors. At one point I was captaining and playing for the university side, travelling up to Edinburgh for U21s training every week, attending cricket nets, involved in charity work, coaching, and all while studying for a degree never mind having a social life. University was definitely hectic but I felt I made the most of the experience and had a great time!

I understand that you entered professional rugby for a period; tell us about this experience.

I played for The Border Reivers in the Magners Celtic league, The European Challenge Cup and The Heineken Cup. It was a fantastic experience playing at that level with and against players who I had previously only ever seen on TV or read about such as Jonny Wilkinson, Jonah Lomu, Gregor Townsend, Brian O’Driscoll and Gavin Henson to name a few. Professional rugby is an extremely tough environment but provides a fantastic lifestyle and opportunities to travel all over the world meeting a vast amount of extraordinary people in the process.

You are now studying for a Masters at Oxford. What are you studying and why did you choose this course? Where do you think this course might lead you?

I am reading for an MSc in the Science and Medicine of Athletic Performance, a course which covers the aspects of human physiology relating to athletic performance. At the moment I am unsure what I am planning to do, though I have a few ideas in the pipeline, rugby again, teaching, the city perhaps but I will just have to wait and see how they develop over the next year. Having said that any job offers are more than welcome!

You are now a ‘blue’ and you have joined two recent Merchistonians who have also gained ‘blues’, namely Jamie Weston and Oliver Tomaszczyk.  Talk to us about the experience of playing rugby at Oxford, being selected and gaining your ‘blue’.

The Oxford rugby experience is completely unique. It is the most traditional amateur fixture in the world rugby calendar which says a lot and you really have to experience it first hand to truly understand the meaning and history of OURFC. It is a great place to play rugby; the environment upholds all traditional and amateur values whilst striving to be as professional in its approach as possible to keep up with the demands of the modern game. Again the way the season unfolds is unlike that at any other club. Every game you play is basically a trial for your position for the Varsity match whilst the development of the team and the standard of performance is paramount throughout. The Varsity match is a complete ‘one off’ and governs the success of the season pretty much regardless of the results preceding it. It is a great occasion and I am very proud to be able to say that I managed to earn a Blue. The fact that the varsity match has produced some world class players and attracts players of the pedigree of Joe Roff just shows how special the fixture still is.

What about the actual game – what did you think of it? Obviously it was hugely disappointing given the result as we felt that we underperformed significantly but credit must go to Cambridge as they certainly know how to win Varsity matches as the last few years would suggest. The day itself and the months of build up is a fantastic experience as its not everyday you run out to 40,000 people at Twickenham.

And what next? I hear you may be interested in teaching – this would be music to my ears because teachers really matter .

I have another year left at Oxford so I will be returning to ‘Shoe the Tabs’ next December and complete my MSc course but as I said the future is undecided so far. Teaching is definitely an option as I feel that I have a lot to offer in that capacity but there are lots of other avenues that I need to explore before making a decision. To be honest I am quite enjoying being a student again!

Do you have any words of advice for the staff and pupils at Merchiston?

I have just got a quote from Vince Lombardi the legendary American football coach of the Green Bay Packers, which I feel is great advice.

‘Hard work is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile’