That it proved just enough for England to retain the Calcutta Cup on a spring day in 1968 made his stampede all the more significant. The Moseley loosehead went careering over as if he had flicked a turbo-charger into overdrive, leaving the Scots so far in his slipstream that, according to Dan Stansfield’s The Who, When and Where of English International Rugby, ‘nobody laid a finger on him’.
Who was Coulman, this supposed donkey who dared to find the gas and the imagination to impersonate a centre-threequarter? He was at least 30 years ahead of his time, a British Police sprint champion, that’s who.
No criminal ever got very far running away from Coulman.
The Lions were sufficiently impressed by his explosive power in scoring the only try of the England-Scotland match to pick him the next day in their 30 for that summer’s tour of South Africa.
Someone else had also been struck by Coulman’s thunderbolt, a businessman with the financial clout to have a more profound effect on the then 24-year-old policeman from Stone. Brian Snape, watching at home in Cheshire, had seen the prop flash across his television set and began to make inquiries.
A Manchester businessman then in the act of transforming Salford Rugby League club, Snape made a name for himself on both sides of the divide the previous year, prising Wales captain David Watkins from Newport for a world record fee of £16,000, worth more than £300,000 today.
Now Snape wanted an English Lion to join the Welsh one for the glory of Salford as immortalised in the song Dirty Old Town composed by one of its most celebrated sons, Ewan MacColl.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy
TEN-TRY Exeter inflicted the backlash from six successive defeats in their worst ever start to a Premiership season on a young Pirates side suffering their own problems in the Championship.
South America look to keep on building
AS Sebastián Piñeyrúa's historic six-year term as President of Rugby Sudamérica comes to an end, his replacement shows no signs of slowing down.
Scarratt excited by new pathway
ENGLAND centurion Emily Scarratt is delighted with the new women's BUCS programme which aims to provide a smoother pathway for young aspiring female players.
Baxter: I want to make things better
ROB Baxter will not be walking away from Exeter, the only club still looking for a Premiership victory this season, believing he can get the Chiefs back on track and he cannot bear the thought of anyone else doing the job.
Pearce walks in his father's footsteps
PADDY Pearce is living a dream after emulating his father and great-uncle by playing for the club he supported as a boy, Bristol.
New England group will cause uncertainty
SO JUST when we thought that everything was getting sorted between the RFU, the clubs and players, a number of new agreements and a new group raises its head.
Galthie turns his sights to the future
FRANCE head coach Fabien Galthie offered the clearest hint yet of Les Bleus' future on Wednesday, when he released 19 players back F to their clubs for the ninth and final Top 14 round before the international break.
Gilmore has tightened up our defence - Anderson
CAMERON Anderson has hailed the impact made by defence coach Jason Gilmore, below, since he arrived at The Stoop in the summer.
Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath
BATH secured a thumping away success in the opening match of their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign against Ampthill at Dillingham Park.
New faces take the plaudits for Saints
NORTHAMPTON handed out a thorough lesson to a tame Leicester team in this one-sided East Midlands derby to launch the Premiership Cup.