Bird's-Eye View From The Old South Stand

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

What’s happening here?

It’s March 19, 1938 and we are at a sun-dappled Twickenham where, in front of a capacity 70,000 crowd, Scotland are on the way to a famous 21-16 victory against England, a win which also clinched the Triple Crown and the Home Unions Championship. Their inspirational skipper and fly-half Wilson Shaw has just scored a fine try in the corner on the stroke of halftime and I believe this is flanker Will Crawford attempting a difficult conversion from the touchline. The Scots used to number their players randomly in the 30s – the full-back was usually 9 and the half-backs often 1 and 2 and the forwards could be anything – but Crawford was their designated kicker this season. The conversion sailed wide but Scotland turned around 12-9 up and a famous win seemed very much on the cards.

What’s the story behind the picture?

Scotland boasted very useful and occasionally inspired teams in the 1920 and 1930s but had only ever tasted victory at Twickenham once, in 1911, when the home of English rugby was opened. Given the incredible rivalry between the two sides, this was a festering sore for the Scots and something which needed to be rectified. They had last won the Home Unions Championship – France had temporarily been kicked out – in 1933 when they also took the Calcutta Cup, but victory that year had come at Murrayfield.