Doddie Weir joins Scottish Rugby hall of fame
- Published
Scotland rugby legend Doddie says reaching life's milestones helps him live with MND
Ex-British and Irish Lions and Scotland lock Doddie Weir has been inducted into Scottish Rugby's hall of fame.
Weir, who is battling motor neurone disease, won 61 caps for Scotland from 1990-2000 and toured with the Lions to South Africa in 1997.
The 50-year-old set up the My Name'5 Doddie foundation after he was diagnosed with MND in 2016, which has raised millions of pounds for research.
Awarded an OBE in 2019, Weir is the 27th member of the hall of fame.
Weir played for his hometown, Melrose, and Newcastle during his club career, winning championships with both, as well as the Borders professional side before he retired.
He was part of the last Scotland squad to win a major trophy, when they lifted the Five Nations title in 1999.
His Lions trip in 1997 was cut short through injury before the first Test.
"This means so much to me," Weir told Scottish Rugby. "And it's great that there are four Melrose men in the Hall of Fame and only two from Gala!"
Fellow inductee, and Scotland's record points scorer, Chris Paterson, described Weir as a "great player".
"The manner in which he has fought this awful condition has been both poignant and inspirational for both the rugby and wider community," said Paterson, who presented Weir with the award in a barn at his farm near Lauder this week.
"Inspiringly, he is always the first to say thank you to those who have helped, whether in a neighbourhood car boot sale or a big posh do."
Scotland face Wales on Saturday in the final match of the 2020 Six Nations, with the two sides also competing for a trophy named in Weir's honour.
Members of the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame: David Bedell Sivright; Phil Macpherson; Ned Haig; Ken Scotland; Sandy Carmichael MBE; Andy Irvine MBE; Finlay Calder OBE; Bill McLaren CBE; Sir Ian McGeechan; Jim Telfer; Gordon Brown; Mark Morrison; Ian Smith; Hugh McLeod OBE; Ian McLauchlan OBE; Jim Renwick; David Leslie; Gary Armstrong OBE; Chris Paterson MBE; Norman Mair; John Rutherford; Douglas Elliot; Donna Kennedy; Mark Robertson; James Robson MBE; Doddie Weir OBE