Rollo sets target for pupils of today

A FEW of the Bell Baxter High School youngsters preparing for the school's first Scottish Schools Cup semi-final may not know David Rollo, but he knows them.

The 72-year-old is an avid spectator at the 1st XV's games and is delighted to see them flying the flag as the sole remaining state school in this season's competition. He joined Frank Hadden, the Scotland coach, in making yesterday's semi-final draw and, almost inevitably, after pitching Dollar Academy with Strathallan, Rollo drew his old school to face Merchiston Castle, where Hadden taught.

But Rollo admitted that one of his greatest wishes was to see another Bell Baxter schoolboy end the long wait to follow his path to an international jersey.

A solid, dependable prop even though, at 5ft 11in and 14st 7lbs, small by today's standards, Rollo missed only two games for Scotland in a remarkable run from 1959 to 1968. His last cap earned against Ireland as a 34-year-old equalled the then cap record of fellow prop Hugh McLeod. Translated into modern Test rugby that kind of consistency could have taken the formidable duo past 100.

Rollo played for Howe of Fife until he was 40 before going on to coach and work on the committee for many years. He told The Scotsman: "It is great to see the boys getting to the semi-finals and it would be great for the school, Howe of Fife and rugby in Fife if we got to the final.

"To be honest, what I would like to see more than anything is another Bell Baxter player get a Scotland cap. I would die happy then. I helped coach in the 1980s when we took a youth team to Murrayfield for the Digital Youth Cup, and lost to Hawick PSA. That was a great achievement and I felt there were players in that team who could have gone on to play for Scotland.

"But it was amateur then of course and their careers took priority, many leaving to be doctors, dentists, lawyers. I knew these boys were good when we won the Scottish Schools sevens and I would like to think some of them have the ability to do it, but who knows what they will want to do in the future?"

The Howe of Fife club have had internationals since Rollo, including Cammy Glasgow and Gordon Hamilton, the Ireland flanker, who was attracted to Duffus Park when the club reached the heady heights of Division Two.

They were not Bell Baxter boys, but Bob Easson, the Scottish Institute of Sport's rugby manager, played for and captained both the school and club as rugby experienced an upsurge in popularity across Fife in the 1970s. Rollo was far from the avid rugby student at Bell Baxter, however, even turning his nose up at the sport when asked to join Howe of Fife on leaving school to go into farming.

He said: "I have often wondered whether I was a bit of a freak because I actually didn't play rugby at school. I played football all through Bell Baxter, as a left or right-back, centre-half, up the wing sometimes.

"A lot of my farmer friends asked me to go along to the rugby, but I didn't think much of it until I had a go when I was 20. And then I was hooked and thoroughly enjoyed my career.

"I've done my bit and just watch now, but I go and watch the schoolboys and know a lot of them now. It's great for Howe of Fife to see the sevens success, and the teams doing well in the schools cup and youth competitions, because it's the club rather than the school behind this.

"The school doesn't have the staff to coach all the boys, so the club does it. It has cost us a lot of money, and takes a lot of fundraising, but achievements like this make it worthwhile."

Cost, of international tickets, is also the reason Rollo gives for not having visited Murrayfield for a long time, but with the cup semi-finals (17 January) at neutral venues he is hoping his young proteges can provide a reason for being there on 25 January. "I don't go and see Scotland play now because I find the cost of tickets and a day out so expensive now, but I watch on the television and it's great to see Frank today because he's brought Scotland back into a winning way.

"After the hiccups in the autumn there, hopefully, he'll get us going forward again next year.

"A lot has changed since I played and at 72 I couldn't begin to tell anyone how to play now, but one thing that hasn't changed much is the need to have good props. Whether it's Bell Baxter, Howe or Scotland, every team still needs strong men at the scrum!"