Pity they couldnt get over for that second try. Hes not a man you could hide in a lineout! He was a forward spotter deep in hostile territory, often on his own, identifying enemy targets and relaying the information back to his unit. However, when it comes to monster kicks, there can be only Welsh rugby player worthy of that giant-sized accolade. After that tour, he switched to playing league but then returned to union. However, he said it was fair to describe the room as "chaotic" and added: "It was an absolute tip. Butler. He served with the Royal Artillery in Italy during the Second World War,[2] including the Battle of Monte Cassino. *Hes like a raging bull with a bad head. Ubogo was a burly prop who could shift around the field. Three ofthe five died. With reference to Moss Keane prime Irish beef? Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Classic phrases from commentator Bill McLaren, Up to 30% off + free delivery with Nike promo codes for members, 20% off selected orders with this Footasylum discount code, 20% off your order - New Balance discount code, Extra 15% selected orders 80+ with this Go Outdoors discount code, 20% off everything with this Sweaty Betty discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK April 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this April, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Here is McLarens summary: Im sure youre familiar with Bambi, the baby deer with gangly legs. In this case, McLaren is referring to the entire Springbok pack. At the East Fortune sanatorium inEast Lothian, he was selected as one offive patients to take part in trials for anew antibiotic, streptomycin. Davies scored twenty tries in 46 tests, an impressive feat both then and now. Born in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, in 1923, McLaren started out as a player and made the Hawick first XV prior to the Second World War, during which he served with the Royal Artillery. But McLaren was clearly of the opinion that the lock was well-nourished! The late great, Bill McLaren was simply the world's best rugby commentator ever. His unique descriptions and authoritive voice added so much excitement, intrigue and enthral. Brilliant Jasen Id forgotten did ye notice? which was such a great way of grabbing your attention and generating the option for something trivial or intriguing. And what about Stradey? Its seven years now since the man with the golden voice finally laid down his famous microphone. No, coo isnt a typo. In his teenage years, McLaren grew up to be a useful flank forward. The prop blithely stepped out of his breeks and bent over to put on the pristine pair. With one of his daughters, Nell, he was raising money for prostate cancer on the hike to Machu Picchu. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Born in Chorley, Lancashire, he played 10 times at Test level and proved an exceptional player for Swansea RFC, for whom he made 242 appearances and skippered in 1976-77. On the very few occasions that he got the ball without a defender in sight, he would charge up the field with knees lifted high. 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Here is McLaren on Scott Gibbs, a burly Welsh center who switched successfully between rugby league and rugby union. Here is where I disagree with the great commentator. The celebration, which will be held initially during October and November, will also feature items from his family life, his years as a PE teacher, where he introduced the likes of Jim Renwick, Colin Deans and Tony Stanger to the game of rugby, and also the 18 months he spent on an isolation wing after contracting tuberculosis. This refers to Scottish fullback Gavin Hastings. *I was there (at Twickenham) in 1938 when Scotland won 28-16. Known as 'the voice of rugby', he retired from commentating in 2002. Ryan simply had too much for Canadian Houle as her precision and power saw her control . His career included winning the 1995 World Cup. He was capped 15 times for the All Blacks between 1972 and 1977. The beloved commentator sadly passed away in 2010 but his legacy will live on forever. Loading interface. Some of his finest broadcasting work came in the form of montages and voiceovers during the London Olympics of 2012. *That one was a bit inebriated just like one of my golf shots (description of a missed goal kick). Mark Andrews played 77 tests at lock for South Africa from 1994 to 2002. [7]. Regarding He could sidestep 3 men in a telephone box would this be a welsh wizard, Barry John? [2] He spent 19 months in a sanatorium in East Fortune in East Lothian, where he was given the experimental antibiotic streptomycin, which saved his life;[2] of the five patients given the drug, only two survived. This article gives you the quotes., who hes referring to, and an explanation. You'll see why. McLaren studied in Aberdeen and taught PE until 1987, coaching three players who went on to star for Scotland: Jim Renwick, Colin Deans and Tony Stanger. Bill McLaren gathered thousands of items relating to the game during his years as a commentator, Bill McLaren was considered by many to be the "voice of rugby" during his long commentating career. Dont forget, firstly, theres lots of rugby stories (scroll down the right hand side to see rugby in the categories) and secondly, there are 4 separate posts containing Bills Quotes. He played golf every day, come hail or shine, with his wife, Bette, whom he met at a local hop in 1947. It hurt him just before his retirement in 2002 that he was once denied access to an Australian training session. You will be inspired! 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Nicknamed the Viet Gwent, they notoriously took no prisoners with their hard-nosed pack of forwards, spearheaded by the Wales front row of Charlie Faulkner, Bobby Windsor and Graham Price. They beat the world once by 70-3.. Ive put the quote in the Scottish section because of the burn reference. After their divorce, he married Susan Roberts, with whom he had a further three children, Jacob, Nell and Seth. This refers to Springbok Mark Andrews and Scotlands Doddie Weir competing for the ball in the lineout. I dont care! *I look at Colin Meads and see a great big sheep farmer who carried the ball in his hands as though it was an orange pip. When Paul Thorburn kicked a record-breaking penalty from 64.2m against Scotland in 1986, it left legendary commentator Bill McLaren to utter the immortal words: "I've seen all the greatest goal kickers in the last decade, but I . Many notable names from rugby and broadcasting attended the event with several sharing their own memories of Bill as a commentator, teacher, friend and family member. Arguably the greatest sports commentator ever, certainly the greatest rugby commentator, Bill McLaren, known as The Voice Of Rugby believed passionately in sport and sportsmanship. McLaren was named among the inaugural members of the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame in 2010 and inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame during Rugby World Cup 2015.[16][17][18]. 138KG of prime South African beef referring to the Springboks heaviest player ever, Flippie van der Merwe. Winger Simon Geoghegan who was capped 37 times for Ireland between 1991 and 1996. A banner was also held up by one of the Cardiff crowd proclaiming: "Bill McLaren is Welsh". He didnt always get his place on the Welsh team but he toured twice with the British and Irish Lions and captained the 1977 tour to New Zealand. As well as building a replica of the famous Murrayfield scoreboard that sat above the East terrace, the exhibition will allow visitors to sit inside the original commentary gantry from the national stadium. Early life and rugby career. Pontypool played on a public park, but were making a name for themselves in Welsh rugby, often not in a good way. From his first marriage, to Jennifer Jones, Butler had three children, Rebecca, Hannah and Jack. Bill's preparation was meticulous and involved a lot of card-play. However, Gibbs was also renowned as a hard-tackling machine. But for those who loved McLarens sayings and laughed at the descriptions he dreamt up of the competitors, here are a few famous phrases from the Bill McLaren rugby commentary scrapbook, spoken both on and off air *Its high enough, its long enough AND ITS STRAIGHT ENOUGH. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Hawick pays tribute to its most famous son, BBC Archive: Commentary gold with Bill McLaren, Trump mistrial request denied in NY rape lawsuit, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, US rock band Aerosmith announce farewell tour, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, DeSantis-backed board votes to countersue Disney, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Street piano confiscated as public 'break rules', NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine. Bill McLaren died on 19 January 2010 at the age of 86 in his home town of Hawick. But despite an internet campaign last year, he was never knighted. McLarens final commentary in Cardiff eight years ago the 2002 Six Nations clash between Wales and Scotland saw the Millennium Stadium crowd sing For Hes a Jolly Good Fellow in his honour. One of his grandfathers was a brickie in the steelworks in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. When he was discharged, he supplemented his work as a PE teacher with rugby reports for the Hawick Express, and was recommended from there to the BBC, joining the corporation in 1953. Over the following five decades he became one of the most recognisable and favoured voices on radio and television. Here is McLaren watching a lock forward making a break up the field. He was particularly renowned for his place kicking which won plenty of games for his country. Join us to celebrate what would have been Bill's 100th year with this fantastic line up: Welsh rugby legend and Bill's former commentary box colleague JONATHAN DAVIES and pitch p . Craig Quinnell was a giant (and I mean giant) lock. William Pollock Bill McLaren, CBE (16 October 1923 19 January 2010) was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. Rugby for orchestra and full voice, and nobody made a sound quite like Bill McLaren. "We have now resurrected all of the furniture that was in there, things like the desk, the chair, the shelves, the typewriter and even the empty Hawick Balls tins he used for pens and paperclips. He toured with the Lions in 1977 to South Africa. When he hits you, you think the roof has just fallen in. *And its a try by Hika the hooker from Ngongotaha (Wales v New Zealand 1980). McLaren is describing the kicker action. Welsh fly half Dan Biggar has a lengthy pre-kick ritual of repeatedly twitching and touching his hair as he stares at the ball on the tee. Sadly, McLaren, known as 'the voice of rugby' for his brilliant BBC commentaries, had died earlier in the . In McLarens 2005 autobiography he talked frankly about the greatest tragedy of his life: the death of his younger daughter, Janie, from cancer at 46, the three years of agony and the trauma of her final day. One day, drawn by the smell ofdecay to a village cemetery, he rounded a corner and was confronted by a mound of 1,500 corpses. They had two daughters, Linda and Janie. He merely points out that the two brothers were well-fed! You got {{SCORE_CORRECT}} out of {{SCORE_TOTAL}}, Five Greatest English Flankers Of All Time, Lock Forwards In Rugby League (Number 13). He loved it when he got abuse from the terraces. The place-kicking routines of some modern fly halves may seem to be increasingly odd and elaborate. He had a unique way to take an interest in every international player and making you feel so important when he bumped into you. His spirit lives on here in this blog and in The Bill McLaren Foundation. Is climate change killing Australian wine? I think McLaren is saying that hed quickly lay bricks to build a wall as a defense. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? [3] Early life [ edit] John Beattie | 16:53 UK time, Tuesday, 19 January 2010. Bennett had also played against New Zealand for the Barbarians in 1973. Monmouth, though, knew they had a real talent long before their pupil went to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, to read French and Spanish (1976-79). The image would haunt him for the rest of his days. Throughout his distinguished career he earned . [12][13][14], On 11 March 2010, thousands of people attended a memorial celebration of Bill McLaren's life held at Murrayfield Stadium in the week leading up to that year's Calcutta Cup match which was played at the stadium. He was awarded his MBE in 1992, an OBE in 1995 and a CBE in the 2003 honours list. Here is McLaren watching two locks leaping to take the ball in a lineout. Bill Mclaren would never be so uncouth. was described as being like a siege gun.., I recall that Bill M often used the phrase now did ye notice.. when he was getting comment from Beaumont and referred to modern rugby boots as carpet slippers .Brings back such fond memories of watching 5 nations as it was then with my old man..priceless. Known as 'the voice of rugby', he retired from commentating in 2002. In all he spent 19 months in hospital battling the condition and recalled crying myself to sleep each night as they took away my friends who had died that day. In the summer break the teenager was introduced to the Pontypool club, a more villagey, earthy Valleys side than the traditional east Wales big clubs, Cardiff and Newport. I was desperately ill and fading fast when the specialist asked five of us to be guinea pigs for a new drug called Streptomycin, McLaren said in 2001. That feared Welsh team of the seventies won three Grand Slams, with Davies tearing up the wing in each of them. Later this year the foundation will host a major exhibition to celebrate the centenary of Bill's birth on 16 October 1923. No one will ever evoke the spirit of Rugby like Bill. A banner was also held up by one of the Cardiff crowd proclaiming: Bill McLaren is Welsh. *Would ye like a Hawick ball, son ? Calder also captained the Lions on tour to Australia in 1989. And I dont think you ever will replace a fellow like that because he was just unique in the way he spoke and commentated on games.. He found the vitriol among supporters and the media in Wales over the top for then amateur sportsmen. I think hes muttering a few naughty Hawick words. Butler, who has died in his sleep at the age of 65 during a walking expedition for charity in Peru, was universally admired in the worlds of rugby and journalism. Bill McLaren followed the likes of Peter OSullevan, John Arlott, Harry Carpenter and Murray Walker into retirement and a generation of BBC commentators had finally fallen silent. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. We inspire a new generation with amazing, true, two minute stories about sportsmanship. Television now rules the rugby broadcaster, but there are still some superb radio commentators. The 62 year old, who has become a well-known commentator since playing, said: I enjoyed having banter with him before every Wales Scotland match. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images. In 2000 Bill and Bette lost their daughter Janie to cancer. Appointed CBE in 2003, he is survived by Bette and his daughter Linda. Butler was born on 8 May 1957. Here are seven quotes. Butler became, more specifically, the voice of Welsh rugby, his mellow tones from those chilly, winter afternoons high in TV gantries and press boxes warming the listener, while his printed words on the game equally delighted readers of the Observer and Guardian. WRU chairman and former Wales captain David Pickering called him a legendary broadcaster and a thorough professional. Former Wales hooker Bobby Windsor called him nothing but a gentleman of the game and said he was the voice of rugby. Heres a quote that probably needs a translation for a non-Scottish audience: He hoists his breeks, does a little shammy shammy. The Quinnell name is famous in Welsh rugby. That teammate was Scott Quinnell. Ex-Welsh great JPR Williams called McLaren an incredibly fair commentator despite his obvious love for the Scottish team. He was selected for the British and Irish Lions in 1967, 1971, and 1974. He was capped 61 times from 1990 to 2000. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. It was there that Bill became music. He was renowned for his jerky sidestep that he executed at high speed. It is not being overly melancholic to say that the Six Nations Championship has never seemed quite the same since McLaren retired. This weekend, like any other when the Six Nations Championship is being held, he will watch the matches from television at his home. But McLaren was never a coarse man! Scott played at centre and was bigger than most players at that level. He was known as The Voice Of Rugby. Brown also captained Scotland ten times, including three victories over England. Murray, who is a volunteer with the BMF, said: "Bill was enormously thorough in his preparations with his commentaries and for his writing - and he did all of his research in a time long before Google.". [11] His funeral took place on 25 January at Teviot Church in Hawick, followed by a private burial at the town's Wellogate Cemetery after his hearse was applauded through the town of Hawick by hundreds of well-wishers who lined the streets to pay their respects to the "Voice of Rugby". He received an OBE, CBE and MBE for services to the sport and combined his work as a broadcaster with that of a PE teacher until 1987. Ive already described Doddie Weir in the previous quote. It simply did not matter. Scott had a longer career at the top end of international rugby. Definitely one of the Welsh greats from that era think Id go for Gareth Edwards, Gerald Davies or the phenomenal Phil Bennett. [15], McLaren has continued to be honoured for his legacy in Hawick and in the sport of rugby. If you want to know more about who hes talking about and what he actually means, read through the later sections of this article. He was just a lovely, lovely man and I was privileged to have worked with him and more importantly to have met him.. Geoghegan was one of my favorite players in the early nineties, and I think McLaren describes him fairly well! Warren Gatland: has never forgiven Irish rugby after he was removed as Irish coach two decades ago. On Victor Ubogus behind England v South Africa. Renwick sent the ball sailing wide. See less. Please do pass the word on so many more people can enjoy the spirit of the late great Bill McLaren. [2] Contents Early life As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. While he convalesced, he began to commentate on table tennis for hospital radio. The quote comes from McLaren watching Hastings preparation before a place kick. Stradey is a location in the middle of the town of Llanelli. This is what McLaren had to say about Phil Bennett, the great Welsh flyhalf. He almost jumped to his left and right without changing speed. The WRU said it will remember Bill McLaren at the Wales v Scotland match at the Millennium Stadium on February 13, though it had yet to decide how. If there was violence, itwas never anything more than "brief shenanigans", and nobody ever kicked a ball badly, but merely made it look abit like one of Bill's own "scruffy nineirons". [2] McLaren was one of many post-war commentators who progressed from commentating on BBC Radio to BBC Television during the infancy of television broadcasting in the UK. With the cameras trained on his face, the Scotsman yelled out his frustration. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Until his retirement in 2002, he was known as 'the voice of rugby'. As a rugby player, he was, to borrow one of his phrases, a "tearaway flanker", a forward with the Hawick first XV, hugely promising by all accounts and fanatical from the day his father took him to see the New Zealand All Blacks at Mansfield Park, Hawick. How well will you do? In the Cambridge team, Butler brought a physical edge to a pack coached by the former Scotland international Ian Robertson, who was also to become a well-known rugby voice on the BBC. McLaren lived in Hawick with wife Bette, who he met on a blind date at in the towns hall in 1947. McLaren also featured as a commentator on the video games Jonah Lomu Rugby and EA Rugby 2001, and also did voice work for Telewest Communications. His novel, The Head of Gonzo Davies (2014), featured a rugby-playing supporter of Welsh independence, a thinly veiled autobiographical work about a back-row forward who has played for Wales but returns to his village in the valleys where the street lights have long gone outside the old rugby clubhouse. The Late Great Bill McLaren did! He became a columnist and journalist who was not. I dont remember Beaumont as being particularly large. He had some tests along the way, especially when his son-in-law, the scrum-half Alan Lawson, or later his grandson in the same position, Rory Lawson, were playing for Scotland. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The legendary commentator, who retired in 2002 after almost 50 years as a broadcaster, died in hospital yesterday morning, aged 86. *He kicked that ball like it were 3 pounds o haggis. He was also very fast. It was nothing personal. As HRH The Princess Royal said in paying tribute to McLaren He has passed on his love for the game and all it represents to everyone he has met or spoken with. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. A hod carrier is someone who works on a building site and carries a pile of bricks on something that looks like a shovel. Victor Ubogo who was capped for England 24 times between 1992 and 1999. He became more famous once his playing days were over for his work as a broadcaster, journalist and novelist. But by the time his international career was over in 1984, the No 8 had become slightly disillusioned with life in the goldfish-bowl of Welsh rugby. *My goodness, that wee balls gone so high therell be snow on it when it comes down. [2] He coached several Hawick youngsters who went on to play for Scotland, including Jim Renwick, Colin Deans and Tony Stanger. It was through his junior reporting with the Hawick Express that he launched himself into a career of commentary, making his national debut for BBC radio in 1953, when Scotland were beaten 12-0 by Wales. Renowned throughout the sport, his enthusiasm and memorable turn of phra Share our stories. He was the player who won 16 caps for Wales and captained his country on six occasions before retiring from international rugby union aged 27. Not just a Scottish rugby legend, Bill McLaren is widely regarded as one of the greatest sports broadcasters of all time. Craig in particular used to laugh to himself as opposition crowds (usually English) yelled down to him that he was fat.

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