They say down at Stradey that if ever you catch him you get to make a wish. It troubled him that he was not by her side when she died, but Janie had ordered him to the commentary box. We are the leading rugby union news and content network delivering you the latest news, views and all the moves in Rugby Union. ), He could sidestep 3 men in a telephone box, Hes like a demented ferret up a wee drainpipe., On Scotlands towering Doddie Weir running with the ball, like a run-away giraffe., On Irelands Simon Geoghegan, Irish winger Hes like Bambi on speed., On NZs Grant Batty: He plays like a runaway bullet., On SAs Carel Du Plessis the prince of left wings.. For a year short of a full half-century, first on radio and from 1962 on BBC television, Bill's voice washed over rugby union, soothing and harmonious. Brilliant Jasen Id forgotten did ye notice? which was such a great way of grabbing your attention and generating the option for something trivial or intriguing. The image would haunt him for the rest of his days. After their divorce, he married Susan Roberts, with whom he had a further three children, Jacob, Nell and Seth. The suggestion was that Waless leader was not passionate enough. Sidestep in a phonebox was referring to Robert Jones (Welsh scrum half). Aidan Smith's Saturday Interview: Welsh wizard John Taylor on one of rugby's great contests, Bill McLaren, standing against apartheid and his worry that Scotland are "building something". Television now rules the rugby broadcaster, but there are still some superb radio commentators. The one-time captain of Wales was the natural heir of the voice of rugby, Bill McLaren, with whom he shared the BBC commentary box in his early days as a broadcaster. Butler took over from McLaren as the BBCs senior commentator in 2002. Its seven years now since the man with the golden voice finally laid down his famous microphone. Among the personal highlights of his career were the commentary for Scotlands Grand Slam victory over England at Murrayfield in 1990. Victor Ubogo who was capped for England 24 times between 1992 and 1999. They had 5 grandchildren, three through Linda: Scotland scrum-half and Gloucester player Rory, Morphsuits co-founder and former Scotland 7s player Gregor and a daughter Lindsay. McLaren also featured as a commentator on the video games Jonah Lomu Rugby and EA Rugby 2001, and also did voice work for Telewest Communications. Some commentators will quickly blabber something innocuous to draw attention away from the incident. In his teenage years, McLaren grew up to be a useful flank forward. But for those who loved McLarens sayings and laughed at the descriptions he dreamt up of the competitors, here are a few famous phrases from the Bill McLaren rugby commentary scrapbook, spoken both on and off air *Its high enough, its long enough AND ITS STRAIGHT ENOUGH. He was also very fast. Eddie Butler: Former Wales rugby captain and legendary broadcaster dies Renwick was also a placekicker, although not the usual first-choice kicker for his country. The one-time captain of Wales was the natural heir of the "voice of rugby", Bill. Boyce, 65, said: I cant think of anyone in rugby football who was more loved and more respected than Bill McLaren. He was so effective that he displaced Will Carling from the test team. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. #WALvENG75: We won't even try and break down this Steve - Facebook Heres a list of great McLaren quotes without any commentary. Phil Bennet was a renowned Welsh flyhalf from the 1970s. From giant winger to tiny wingerGrant Batty was only 55. Rugby for orchestra and full voice, and nobody made a sound quite like Bill McLaren. McLarens final commentary was the game between Wales and Scotland at the Millennium Stadium in 2002, when the crowd sang For Hes a Jolly Good Fellow and one Welsh supporter displayed a banner claiming Bill McLaren is Welsh. However, he said it was fair to describe the room as "chaotic" and added: "It was an absolute tip. Here is McLaren on two sturdy brothers who were giants of Welsh rugby in more ways than one. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Now think of those gangly steps when under the influence of a particular illegal substance! But he was broad-shouldered and had a big physical presence. This is the greatest Wales rugby team of all time and these are the Here are seven quotes. Tell a friend. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. And given the stamp he put on so many of Wales most glorious post-war rugby moments, McLaren may well be missed almost as much in Wales as he will be in Scotland, not to mention the world over. The son of a knitwear salesman, during the second world war Bill found himself in Italy, a second lieutenant in the Royal Artillery. On Victor Ubogus behind England v South Africa. Professional rugby has not always been kind to the romantics. He was used as a forward spotter, and on one occasion was confronted by a mound of 1,500 corpses in an Italian churchyard, an unpleasant experience which never left him. Historian Murray Watson said he had spent two years going through 30,000 different items from the room. However, when it comes to monster kicks, there can be only Welsh rugby player worthy of that giant-sized accolade. Not just a Scottish rugby legend, Bill McLaren is widely regarded as one of the greatest sports broadcasters of all time. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? His nickname was Pine Tree. Eddie Butler (rugby union) - Wikipedia By 1983 he was captaining the Wales side while working as a teacher at Cheltenham college, whose Cotswold stone cloisters were a world away from the slag-black surroundings of Pontypool. Pontypool played on a public park, but were making a name for themselves in Welsh rugby, often not in a good way. Over the following five decades he became one of the most recognisable and favoured voices on radio and television. How well will you do? Tackling like a car crash Here is McLaren on Scott Gibbs, a burly Welsh center who switched successfully between rugby league and rugby union. As a rugby player, he was, to borrow one of his phrases, a "tearaway flanker", a forward with the Hawick first XV, hugely promising by all accounts and fanatical from the day his father took him to see the New Zealand All Blacks at Mansfield Park, Hawick. Later this year the foundation will host a major exhibition to celebrate the centenary of Bill's birth on 16 October 1923. That feared Welsh team of the seventies won three Grand Slams, with Davies tearing up the wing in each of them. In all he spent 19 months in hospital battling the condition and recalled crying myself to sleep each night as they took away my friends who had died that day. 'Voice of rugby' Bill McLaren put in the spotlight, Above par performance from Selkirk's man Thomas, New and improved facilities will make campsite a draw for tourists says Live Borders, Sentence deferred on Borders man involved in disturbance with former partner, Working hard to help traumatised children, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests, Fighter jets are roaring over my home in Sudan, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic.
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