SRU PERFORMANCE TRANSITION MANAGER AND FORMER SCOTLAND, NEWCASTLE, NORTHAMPTON AND GOSFORTH BACK ROW
I rang Gary Armstrong, a good mate of mine and our captain, and he guessed that we had because his phone had been ringing non-stop. Italy joined the tournament the following year so to be able to say I am still a Five Nations champion still raises a smile. We received the trophy at Murrayfield on the Monday evening and about 30,000 people turned out to show their support. It was amazing.
I was born in Alnwick and brought up on the family farm but I always felt Scottish. I went to Merchiston School with my two elder brothers and spent seven years living in Edinburgh. We’d go to every Scotland game, cheering the team on from the schoolboys’ enclosure at Murrayfield. I captained Scotland Schools for a couple of years and never lost to England. We beat them in Glasgow with a team that included Tony Stanger and Craig Chalmers and then drew 3-3 at Hartlepool Rovers the following year when I was jumping up against Martin Johnson at the front of the lineout.
My great-grandparents were MacLeod’s so Scotland was the route I always wanted to go down but, at first, I was told I wasn’t eligible. Initially I intended to play for Kelso once I left school but having my path to Scotland seemingly blocked, I went back to Alnwick, my junior club, and played a season with England U19s. My Scotland dream was revived after I left the North East. I had a link with Northampton through Danny Hodgson, who was a big RFU county rep man, and he put me in touch with Barrie Corless, the coach at the time. I got myself a job as an auctioneer with the same land agency company that my wife worked for and moved down there. It was a big step for me but it worked out well as I had three enjoyable years there.
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