Bill believed in sportsmanship shaking hands, thanking the ref, respect, fun and, of course, competition. Edward Thomas Butler, rugby player and sports journalist, born 8 May 1957; died 15 September 2022, Rugby player who won 16 caps for Wales and went on to become an Observer journalist and a leading commentator for the BBC, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. His charging runs may be what Maclaren is referring to in the quote. Im a little unsure on how to unpack this quote. See also my TEDx Talk: How Sportsmanship Can Change The World. Craig Quinnell was a giant (and I mean giant) lock. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. But McLaren isnt too impressed with the flankers ball-handling skills! His spirit lives on here in this blog and in The Bill McLaren Foundation. His first commentary was made while recovering from TB, describing table tennis matches for the hospital radio. *His sidestep was marvellous like a shaft of lightning (description of Welsh wing Gerald Davies). 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. Butler became a published author in 2014. [3] Early life [ edit] He knew it meant that the opposition feared him. 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At the East Fortune sanatorium inEast Lothian, he was selected as one offive patients to take part in trials for anew antibiotic, streptomycin. 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. "We have around 10,000 items of fan mail and we could only find one that had a complaint.". *Im no hod carrier but Id be laying bricks if he was running at me (description of Jonah Lomu). When they get going, its like watching cattle stampede, huge fellows who thunder about the paddock like mad rhinos. In November 2001, McLaren became the first non-international to be inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame. 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. Here are the next 15 unique quotes from Bill McLaren: On French forward, Cristian Califano, built like a bicycle shed, And theres Beaumont in that English scrum looking like a man who enjoys his food , Theres a few stone o Border beef in that scrum, There goes 18 stones of prime Scottish beef on the hoof (anyone know who Bill is referring to here?). However, there was a time when he lined up a kick as McLaren was commentating on a Scottish test. McLaren began as a junior reporter with the Hawick Express and made his national debut for BBC radio in 1953, when Scotland were beaten 12-0 by Wales. He merely points out that the two brothers were well-fed! If your national team has been on the end of a pasting by the Boks, you probably know exactly what McLaren is talking about! He would never have said anything about himself in such a way, for he was famously modest, a son ofHawick for whom adayaway from his home town was aday wasted. Bill McLarens spirit lives on here in this blog and in The Bill McLaren Foundation. He was a very special person., Welsh Rugby Union group chief executive Roger Lewis said: When he retired from the game he was missed in the manner that many of the greatest players in Welsh rugby history have been, which is some accolade in itself, before you consider he was a Scotsman.. I dont know which big man won the ball. He was so effective that he displaced Will Carling from the test team. ), He could sidestep 3 men in a telephone box, Hes like a demented ferret up a wee drainpipe., On Scotlands towering Doddie Weir running with the ball, like a run-away giraffe., On Irelands Simon Geoghegan, Irish winger Hes like Bambi on speed., On NZs Grant Batty: He plays like a runaway bullet., On SAs Carel Du Plessis the prince of left wings.. "And he was loved for his knowledge as well as his humour. He found the vitriol among supporters and the media in Wales over the top for then amateur sportsmen. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. There he struck up a partnership with another former Wales international, Jonathan Davies, and an odd-couple relationship with the one-time English hooker Brian Moore. However, this is nothing new. It is not. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. [2] He switched to television commentary six years later. On Phil Bennett: "They say down at Stradey that if ever you catch him [Phil Bennett] you get to make a wish." Sadly, McLaren, known as 'the voice of rugby' for his brilliant BBC commentaries, had died earlier in the . After retirement, McLaren wrote the book Rugby's Great Heroes and Entertainers in 2003. Here is McLaren watching a kicker for Hawick Harlequins who is furious with himself for missing a penalty kick. New Zealand radio . From next spring, the Bill McLaren 100 exhibition will share Hawick Museum with a display charting Hawick Rugby Club's 150 years. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Its seven years now since the man with the golden voice finally laid down his famous microphone. Invite us to tell stories in your school or club. This is considered one of the greatest tries in the history of the sport. 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. There is another more coarse use of the term laying bricks which could also apply at the sight of Lomu charging towards you. The big Blackpool policeman standing like a lighthouse at the back of the lineout. Its like trying to tackle a snooker table. But the twins never played on the same Scotland team! They were coached by the fierce disciplinarian Ray Prosser, but Eddie the varsity youth, with his cultured tones and inevitable nickname Bamber, after the University Challenge presenter, fitted in with Pontypools ethos. You may also know him as a top blazer in World Rugby. Bill played for Combined Services XV in Italy in 1946, Hawick High School XV in 1937 with Bill McLaren, second from right on back row, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. 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. William Pollock McLaren CBE (16 October 1923 19 January 2010) was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. Monmouth, though, knew they had a real talent long before their pupil went to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, to read French and Spanish (1976-79). His grammar school-educated father, Kenneth, was a research chemist who played amateur football for Wycombe Wanderers and three times for English representative sides as an inside-forward. Ive put the quote in the Scottish section because of the burn reference. Appointed CBE in 2003, he is survived by Bette and his daughter Linda. During his final commentary, Wales v Scotland in 2002, the crowd sang "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" and one Welsh supporter displayed a banner claiming "Bill McLaren is Welsh". I used to go with my father to see matches at a very early age, the great Hawick heroes including Willie Welsh, Jock Beattie and Jerry Foster, so I had an all-consuming desire to wear the green jersey of Hawick.[4]. Here is McLaren on two sturdy brothers who were giants of Welsh rugby in more ways than one. Scottish rugby union player, sports broadcaster & journalist, Scottish rugby commentators and journalists, "Tributes paid to woman behind Hawick's voice of rugby, Bill McLaren, after his widow Bette dies at 93", Vale Bill McLaren, we'll never see your like again, "Book review: Rugby's Greatest Heroes And Entertainers, by Bill McLaren", Bill McLaren: Scotland's legendary voice of rugby mourned across world The Scotsman, "Bill McLaren, the 'voice of rugby', dies aged 86", "Hundreds gather for funeral of Bill McLaren, the voice of rugby", "Characters from centre stage gather again to say last farewell to Bill McLaren", "Thousands gather at Murrayfield to pay tribute to Bill McLaren 'the voice of rugby', "Bill McLaren statue to be unveiled at Murrayfield", "Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame Inductees 2010", "Legends inducted into World Rugby Hall of Fame at Rugby World Cup 2015", Bill McLaren: Legendary 'Voice of Rugby' was a family man above all, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_McLaren&oldid=1124949584, Commanders of the Order of the British Empire, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Sports commentating, sports journalism, rugby player, This page was last edited on 1 December 2022, at 11:21. Who would even think, let alone say, something like this on live TV? As well as being awarded an MBE, OBE and CBE, Bill became the first non-international player to be inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame. *My goodness, that wee balls gone so high therell be snow on it when it comes down. Our previous quotes have generally referred to a single individual. He became more famous once his playing days were over for his work as a broadcaster, journalist and novelist. He had a twin brother Jim who also played for Scotland and toured with the Lions (New Zealand in 1983). For a year short of a full half-century, first on radio and from 1962 on BBC television, Bill's voice washed over rugby union, soothing and harmonious. Please do pass the word on so many more people can enjoy the spirit of the late great Bill McLaren. This quote aptly describes most days when I watch the All Blacks take on my national team. A banner was also held up by one of the Cardiff crowd proclaiming: Bill McLaren is Welsh. *The All Blacks that day looked like great prophets of doom. Breeks are breeches. 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. 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. 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. William Pollock "Bill" McLaren, CBE (16 October 1923 - 19 January 2010) was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. This is unusual (Australias John Eales is the only other one I can think of). 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. Tell us your story. A burn is a stream i.e. Tell a friend. [2] Contents Early life McLaren is describing the kicker action. Here is McLaren watching defenders bouncing off legendary All Black winger Jonah Lomu. 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.
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