Video: "I can't do my top button" - Weir opens up about motor neurone disease battle

Former Scotland and British & Irish Lions player Doddie Weir has given an insight into his daily battle with motor neurone disease (MND).

Weir announced he was suffering from MND in June last year and is now a leading campaigner to improve awareness.

“At the moment maybe I can’t do my top button and just little things like that, which I can get help with and it’s not the end of the world, but eventually you won’t be able to walk, you won’t be able to eat, you won’t be able to breathe and that’s not a great future and that is why we need more awareness and try and get more done and hopefully get a stoppage to it and even better, get a cure and that is what my fight is at the moment.”

Weir remains upbeat despite having to contend with a terminal illness.

“At some stage I wish I was back at a sports ground and maybe a bit more weights training when I was younger, because it might have helped me a little bit. So at the back of that we’re still here – eating, sleeping, talking, driving and so in some form and fashion things are not too bad. We’re on a great journey and other people with this horrific disease don’t really have that sort of luck. So with anything – quite lucky, quite fortunate and still smiling.”

Weir would dearly love a win over England this weekend and is optimistic over Scotland’s chances of Calcutta Cup success at Murrayfield.

“It’s not been a happy hunting ground for the Scots in the past, they had a bad encounter last year (61-12 defeat at Twickenham). This 6 Nations has been tricky for them, but it has been an eye-opener against Wales, great victory against France just last week, so this game is going to be a pretty good game. I think if any year it’s going to be this year and the anticipation is quite interesting and exciting and I would hope they would do very well and I think this year Scotland might edge it.”

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Scotland haven’t beaten England in ten years, a 15-15 draw in 2010 is the closest they’ve come since.

“Well I just think it goes back to the old days – concentrate on what they are doing, because they have got the passion, they have got the crowd, they’ve got the home environment and I think with that – that’s with any luck should make to be the difference. And just get in and hustle bustle, which is quite a simple way to do, because the English are on fire, they’re a very strong side, they’ve got very clever players. So we just have to try and maybe, not out-muscle them, maybe out-think them.”

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