Thorpe Groyney
Open your mind
A real loss to rugby. The one man who done more to make the game of rugby so watchable in millions of living rooms throughout the decades, Bill McLaren, died aged 86 today.
I've never known someone so knowledgeable about their sport and he conveyed it so well to viewers. I was also so taken with his neutrality during games, especially when his son-in-law was playing. Only once did I ever hear any bias, and that was a 1984 Grand Slam decider against France, when Scotland were looking for their first since 1925.
His classic phrases like "They'll be cheering in the clubhouse at Tredegar at that one", or "Oh, that was a remarkable try", and memorably in 1980 "Oh, that's a beauty ... and Hare's kick, as it slices through the posts, breaks Welsh hearts, in the cruellest of ways." will live down the decades.
A top, top man and will be sorely missed.
I've never known someone so knowledgeable about their sport and he conveyed it so well to viewers. I was also so taken with his neutrality during games, especially when his son-in-law was playing. Only once did I ever hear any bias, and that was a 1984 Grand Slam decider against France, when Scotland were looking for their first since 1925.
His classic phrases like "They'll be cheering in the clubhouse at Tredegar at that one", or "Oh, that was a remarkable try", and memorably in 1980 "Oh, that's a beauty ... and Hare's kick, as it slices through the posts, breaks Welsh hearts, in the cruellest of ways." will live down the decades.
A top, top man and will be sorely missed.
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