Cusiter hangs up his boots

Cusiter hangs up his boots

Former Scotland scrum-half and 2005 British & Irish Lions tourist Chris Cusiter today announced his decision to retire from rugby.Cusiter, 33, who made 70 appearances in the dark blue of Scotland, captained his country on eight occasions, including in the historic 9-8 win over Australia at BT Murrayfield, though injury forced him out of the contest after 21 minutes.He made his Scotland debut in the 2004 RBS 6 Nations Championship match against Wales in Cardiff, and his first international try followed later that year in the second Test of the tour to Australia.During the 2009/10 season he became the 26th Scot to surpass the 50 cap mark when he led the team against Italy in Rome, and last donned the thistle emblazoned shirt in the 37-12 defeat of Tonga at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, in November 2014.The Aberdeen born and bred half-back featured for Scotland in the 2007 and 2011 Rugby World Cups, and played for the 2005 British & Irish Lions on six occasions, including as a substitute in the pre-departure match against Argentina at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.Reflecting on his career, he said: “As far as my rugby career goesI considered myself privileged to receive a Scotland ‘A’ cap in 2002. If it had ended there at that point then I would have been happy.”I could never have imagined all the experiences I would be able to have over the next 14 years through rugby – the places I visited, the stadiums I played in, the people I met and the great friends I made.Playing for Scotland 70 times was more than I could have dreamed of growing up learning how to play rugby at Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen.”The memories of playing for Scotland and touring New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions will be with me forever and I am grateful for all the incredible experiences I have been afforded through rugby.Some of the greatest times of my life have been spent with team mates in the changing rooms after great victories and I know that it will be difficult to replace those kinds of feelings.”I’m looking forward to the challenge however. I have always been aware of the finite nature of a career in professional rugby, particularly given some of the injuries I picked up, and this is the right time to hang up my boots and move onto the next challenge. Now is the time for me to move forward, to something I have been working on alongside my rugby career.”Through the ranks As a young player, Cusiter was nurtured at Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon’s College, and during his time there represented North Schools at all-grade levels, as well as making appearances for Scottish Schools.Following his displays in the national schools’ side, he was promoted to Scotland under-18, before playing international rugby at under-19 level and in the under-21 World Championships. Cusiter played four times for Scotland A, making his debut as a second-half substitute in the victory against Romanian in November 2002. He also had a replacement appearance against Fiji that month, but he had to wait until June 2009 for his first start for Scotland A, when he led the team to victory in the IRB Nations Cup in Bucharest, playing in the wins against Russia and France A and scoring a try in the first of those games. “As far as my rugby career goes I considered myself privileged to receive a Scotland ‘A’ cap in 2002. If it had ended there at that point then I would have been happy,” he continued. Club servant After impressing on the domestic club scene with Boroughmuir and Watsonians, Cusiter was called into the Glasgow Warriors squad in the 2001/02 season, before switching allegiances to Border Reivers, where he made 25 appearances. After a two-season stint at French side Perpignan between 2007 and 2009, Cusiter returned to his homeland to sign a three-year deal with his first professional club, Glasgow Warriors. He marked his return at Firhill with a win against defending champions Munster in the opening game of their Magners League campaign.He remained with Warriors until 2014, bowing out for the club in the PRO12 final that season, where Glasgow fell to defeat at the hands of Leinster at Dublin’s RDS Arena.Cusiter moved to Aviva Premiership side Sale Sharks ahead of 2014/15 season on a two-year deal. Highlights have included Winning the BT Premiership with Boroughmuir in 2003, winning the Top 14 title with Perpignan in 2009 and reaching the final of the PRO12 with Glasgow Warriors in 2014.The American dreamCusiter will now move across the Atlantic to the United States, to pursue a new career in the drinks industry, focussing on one of Scotland’s greatest exports, whisky. “I’ve been fascinated by the Scotch whisky industry for the past few years and firmly believe that it is Scotland’s finest and greatest export and something to be very proud of.”I am excited to be involved with a product that I am so passionate about. “We will be building an alcohol retail business based in Los Angeles – specialising in craft beer, fine wine and craft spirits with a big focus on Scotch whisky.”International recordCaps: 70 Debut: v Wales, 2004 Points: 15 (three tries)

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