Back-row forward.
Born 25.10.71
Height: 6ft 3in,
Weight: 16st 7lbs.
Martin Donald Leslie crossed for his 10th try for his country in the 37-10 November 2002 win against Romania. Earlier in the year he had scored in the Six Nations clash with Ireland in Dublin.
He missed the 2000 Autumn Tests through injury – the same fate befell him in 2001 – but returned to Scotland duty in the 2001 Six Nations opener against France.
In season 1998-99 he made a try-scoring debut for Edinburgh Reivers (now known as Edinburgh Rugby), and he went on to play as a substitute for Scotland against both New Zealand Maori and South Africa.
He was named man of the match as Reivers clinched the Tri-Series at Galashiels in January, 1999, and he was part of a formidable back-row in Scotland’s Five Nations Championship success that year.
He followed up by playing in all four matches (one as a replacement) on Scotland’s 1999 summer tour to South Africa, when he scored tries against Mpumalanga and Golden Lions.
On the 2000 tour to New Zealand Leslie overcame groin and hand injuries to play in five matches, including both Tests. He qualifies for Scotland through a paternal grandfather from Linlithgow.
His father, Andy, captained the All Blacks 10 times in the mid-1970s, and his brother, John, played more than 120 games for Otago and also made his cap international debut against South Africa in 1998-99 after having enlisted with Glasgow Caledonians.
Martin is a former New Zealand under-21 cap who has represented both Wellington in New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship and Wellington Hurricanes in the Super 12.
Gordon Bulloch
