Rugby: Tim Visser not the only ‘Dutch’ Scotsman

INTRIGUINGLY, Tim Visser is not the only player from the Netherlands to have turned out for Scotland, although that may depend upon the strict definition of a Dutchman. From 1959-63 Frans Herman ten Bos won 17 caps for Scotland in the second row. Like his current compatriot, Ten Bos was another big man and while he boasted Dutch ancestry, he was actually born in Richmond upon Thames, schooled at Fettes College in Edinburgh and turned out for London Scottish after playing for Oxford University.

Although their international careers never overlapped, the current SRU president Ian McLauchlan, touring with the Scotland squad, remembers Ten Bos from back in the 1960’s. “He was a really big man for the time,” recalls McLauchlan. “He stood about six feet six inches tall and weighed around 17 stones. I think he partnered Mike Campbell Lamerton in the second row so Scotland had a pretty big pair of locks. They were both real gentlemen, on and off the pitch.”

There is one story that the late Bill McLaren is said to have told about Ten Bos when Scotland travelled to Paris in 1963, a place they have enjoyed little success through the ages. Hawick prop Hugh McLeod would wind up the big Dutchman by calling him: “A big lump o’ potted meat.”

Ahead of the game and, with Ten Bos punching his considerable weight, Scotland emerged with a rare 11-6 victory. A similar impact from Scotland’s latest Dutch recruit would be very welcome on Saturday.