It will be a proud moment for the 31-year-old Edinburgh lock but he insists he will not stop to consider his achievement until the end of the RBS 6 Nations Championship encounter at Murrayfield.

He said: There is no better buzz than playing for your country, so Im pretty chuffed with myself for managing to go on this long. But although it will feel good to reach 82, alongside a great player like Gregor, Im trying not to think about it really.

I dont want to get all worked up with the hype because I need to keep a cool head. If I get too excited I might overcook before the game and be knackered when by kick-off. The most important thing to me is that we win the game, rather than how many caps I get.

Murray was first called into the international fold as a 19-year-old in 1996. After 11 years in the Scotland squad he still feels as excited about representing his country as ever and insists he cannot imagine calling a halt to his top-level career.

I still feel brilliant and as long as [coach] Frank Hadden wants me to play I'll keep playing, he said.

Theres loads Id still like to do, both internationally and at club level. Im still very hungry - even at my old age - to keep playing and keep performing at the highest level.

Im not sure Ill ever retire - Ill have to be told that Im no longer needed. When I do go it will be kicking and screaming because I love playing rugby. I wont miss the training, but Ill really miss match days.

A home clash against Italy should present the ideal opportunity for Murray to celebrate his record equalling achievement with a win, but he has twice been on the losing side against the Azzurri and is taking nothing for granted.

We have a great bunch of players, but we all know that we have to play well and be at 110% or we wont get anything from the game. What we did against Wales two weeks ago was control the game and we got our reward.

However, in the past, especially against Italy, weve sat back and waited to see what theyd throw at us before we started playing rugby. We cant afford to do that because Italy will punish us. They are a lot more clinical than people give them credit for.

Frank has been clear this week that we can analyse them as much as we like but it comes down to what we do with the ball thats going to count, so lets not be scared to play rugby from the start.