Practice makes perfect for Moray Rugby Club kicking hero Rory Millar who has amassed over 500 points in Scottish rugby over past two seasons
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Kicking Moray into the semi-finals of the National Shield was the moment Rory Millar has been putting in hours of practise to achieve.
The 23-year-old Elgin joiner, who followed his uncle and cousin into playing for his local team, kept his nerve to slot the ball between the posts at Morriston on Saturday with the very last kick of Moray’s quarter-final clash against Ardrossan.
Trailing 15-0 at the interval, the home side fought back and captain Lewis Scott’s try in time added on drew the scores level at 20-20. It all came down to the conversion, and no-one is better equipped than Millar to finish off the job - which he did in clinical fashion.
The full-back may well be Scottish club rugby’s highest points scorer. In the past two seasons he has not only kicked 24 penalties and 161 conversions, but he has also contributed by scoring 23 tries for a total of more than 500 points in little more than 18 months.
Describing the crucial moment on Saturday, he said: “It was quite tense. We had a penalty with a minute to go and I kicked to the corner to get us a line-out.
“I knew it was almost done and we needed a try and conversion to win. I was trying to tell the team to keep coming to the middle to try and get under the posts.
“But when we did score it was out wide a bit.
“I knew there was a lot of pressure on the kick but I just tried to keep grounded and stuck to what I do.
“I tried to tell myself it was just another practice kick, and I didn’t really feel the pressure until I stood back from the kick and realised that the whole crowd was watching. At the end of the day I was just doing my job.
“It was a relatively straightforward kick but in the heat of the moment and the pressure of the game, and what was at stake, anybody could have missed it.”
Millar’s deadly kicking accuracy comes down to hard work, as he revealed the extra hours he puts in at Moray’s Morriston base to do his bit for the team.
“Every Tuesday and Thursday we train, I am down an hour before training starts, just doing kicking. I will train on a Friday night before games doing some kicking practice. And it depends on how the game goes, I will go down on a Sunday as well.
“In the summer months it does go up more because of the light nights, when I can go down on a Monday. It’s just my way of switching off really, go down with headphones in and potter away.
“My job is quite physical during the day and it’s my way of switching off at nights by going down and being on a rugby pitch.
“It has paid off and I am happy and proud to do that. Practice makes perfect.”
Millar’s uncle Brian starred for many years for Moray, while his cousin Lee progressed from the Elgin club to play for top sides like Gala, London Scottish and Watsonians before recently retiring from the sport.
“I’ve played myself since I was three, almost since I’ve been able to run. All through school I’ve been a big part of it,” said the former Bishopmill Primary and Elgin Academy pupil.
“Moray have the mini micros which are really young so I started then and worked my way up.”
Now in his sixth season in Moray’s first XV, he has seen plenty ups and downs but had enjoyed the club’s rise in fortunes in recent years.
“When I was young I played number 9 (scrum half) but I realised I was too tall so I moved to number 10 (fly half) and played there for two or three seasons.
“Another number 10 came in and the coach wanted to try me at 15 (full back) because he said I may be more suited to the running rugby aspect.
“I played one game and really enjoyed it and stuck to it, and it has got better and better and I have cemented that spot now.”
Moray were crowned as Caledonia North Division 2 champions last season, and embraced promotion by topping the North Conference to reach the play-offs, with a home clash against Dundee 2nd XV being the first of six games to decide the champions.
Last weekend’s remarkable victory gives Moray a second shot at glory as they host either Linlithgow or Portobello in the semis in a fortnight’s time, taking them just 80 minutes away from a possible Murrayfield final.
Millar says the input of first team coach and player Cameron Hughes has been instrumental in the club’s revival. “He has played a massive part. Just bringing his knowledge and expertise into the club has been a big help.
“Saturday was one of the biggest crowds I have ever seen at Moray and when the ball sailed over the posts, it was a good feeling. Everybody was running up to me and I enjoyed it.
“Those crowds just show the success of the club. When I started the crowds were nothing like that, you would be lucky to have 50 people watching. The games are getting more publicised and you are getting more and more people coming down.
“That’s us into the semi-finals now, as well as the play-offs. It’s massive games ahead.
“There’s such a buzz about the club, even in training. Everyone is locked in to it, there’s no mucking about.”
