Almond got it wrong but he was still right

NEXT Saturday is the 150th anniversary of the Scotland v England fixture – the world’s oldest international rugby match – and among many things a glorious chance to doff a cap to one HH Almond and his words of wisdom amidst the controversy and rancour that often attaches itself to this annual tribal gathering.

- Brendan Gallagher

Hely Hutchinson Almond was the umpire that day, in effect the referee, in a sport that hitherto had optimistically asked the two captains to come to a mutual decision on key incidents and disputes. As if.

A redoubtable Scotsman and educationalist, Almond had bought Loretto School in 1862 and among other things turned it into a great centre of rugby. In total he served as headmaster, as well as rugby coach, for 39 years and was well used to dealing with stroppy, argumentative, testosterone-fuelled young blighters who were prone to “try it on” and bait authority figures.

And so it came to pass that in this first ever game between the old enemies that Scotland scored two tries, both hotly disputed by England. The first, from a scrum, came from Angus Buchanan when England were still arguing that they had touched the ball down in goal moments earlier when Scotland’s George Ritchie had lost the ball over the line.

Instead a Scotland scrum was ordered by Almond. This was a big call because the touchline conversion from William Cross proved to be the match winner – tries only being means by which you earned a kick at goal in those days. Scotland won the game one goal to nil.

Then much later came the ‘knock-on’ controversy. In those days a knock-on was punished instantly south of the border if the ball went forward while up in Scotland they had the quaint but well-established notion that if the knock-on was not adjudged deliberate you could play on. Bless.