Scots’ world of pain against England

IT OCCURRED in 1991 rather than 1984 but, with typically brilliant foresight, George Orwell could well have had in mind the Scotland/England World Cup semi-final when he suggested that serious sport was just war without the weapons.

Almost exactly 20 years on from that clash, the only time Scotland have appeared in the last four, the two teams meet again on Saturday in a match that will go a long way to deciding the length of both teams’ sojourn in New Zealand.

The Pool B match will be a full-on affair but, with the introduction of citing, assistant referees and video evidence, it is sure to be a lot less brutal than the last time these two teams met in the World Cup. Ignore for a moment the small matter of an ancient, and occasionally bitter, rivalry with the 1990 Grand Slam decider still fresh in everyone’s memory and instead ponder the prize on offer to the winner that day. A place in the World Cup final at Twickenham.

The stage was set for a combustible encounter, although what followed was hardly an advert for running rugby.

England stand-off Rob Andrew: “I can’t remember much about that game because I don’t think that that much happened! It wasn’t a great game. It was always going to be won by a penalty or a drop goal, it just wasn’t going anywhere.”

Scotland flanker John Jeffrey: “It was a miserable game.”

Scotland flanker Finlay Calder: “England had worked us out, there was to be none of that [1990] nonsense. They strangled the life out of us. I think we knew from kick-off that it was going to be a tough shift.”

One Scottish newspaper report hailed the “tremendous performance” of England’s uncompromising No.8 Mike Teague, who had kept Dean Richards bench-bound.

And Teague recalled: “After the debacle of 1990 we knew we were in for a big game. We all got on well off the field but on the field we’d go at it a bit. I’ve done things on a field that I’m not proud of. As Murray Mexted once said, there are some things you just have to do on in a game of rugby. Frankly it was like going to war again.”

England had lost the opening game of the tournament 12-18 to the defending champions New Zealand but they turned their campaign around with convincing wins over Italy and the USA before beating France in Paris to set up the Murrayfield semi-final clash.

Scotland had it easy by comparison. They had thumped Japan and Zimbabwe, in the latter’s only World Cup appearance, before facing the surprise team of the tournament. The country that was then known as Western Samoa had famously upset Wales in Cardiff, giving rise to any number of jokes about what the whole of Samoa might have achieved, but Scotland were ready.

By employing Gavin Hastings as a first receiver the Scots got on the front foot and easily quashed the islanders’ challenge.

Come the semi-final, Scotland were led out on to the field not by captain David Sole but flanker John Jeffrey, who was making his last-ever international appearance at Murrayfield.

Jeffrey: “It’s almost as if we underachieved by only getting to the semi-final. Our group included Ireland who weren’t strong and then Samoa beat Wales so we had them in the quarters. There would have been something seriously wrong if we hadn’t got to the semis.”

England played a low-risk match knowing their gargantuan pack was a match for anyone. Before the game Finlay Calder suggested that both teams owed the fans “a spectacle” but his kidology had no effect. After the match Ian McGeechan claimed England had “squeezed the life out of the game” although the home coach would surely have garrotted his own granny if it had meant a Scotland win.

It was a long way from 1990 when England came to Edinburgh intent on playing rugby, and just how much that Grand Slam loss preyed on their minds is open to question.

England prop Jason Leonard: “I don’t think there was any element of revenge for 1990, it was a typical Scotland/England match, business as usual and a big game in anyone’s book.”

Calder: “I think in our hearts we knew we wouldn’t catch them cold again.”

Teague: “I think 1991 was revenge for 1990 when we’d destroyed everyone in the build up to the game, but were overconfident on the day. It was sporting payback if you like.”

Andrew: “I think there was an element of payback for 1990. Some sides claim that the past is irrelevant but I think that’s bloody rubbish. We were clearly affected by the past and 1990 lingered.”

The match started well for Scotland, notching two first-half penalties through the boot of Gavin Hastings. The second of which came around the half hour mark when England’s Jeff Probyn took David Sole out at a lineout. The two had history and Sole had cut the entire sleeve off his left arm to prevent, so he claimed, Probyn pulling him down at the set scrum.

Leonard: “The 1989 Lions tour helped build a few bridges, especially in the back row where a lot of friendships were made. If there was any antagonism it was in the front row where David [Sole] and Jeffrey [Probyn] didn’t see eye to eye. It was all highly entertaining for the rest of us who watched it unfold.”

Teague: “There was some bad feeling between Jeff and David Sole. Jeff thought he should have toured with the Lions in 1989 and it probably didn’t help that Soley had an awesome tour.”

Jeffrey: “There were something like ten Englishmen and nine Scots on that 1989 Lions tour.”

Nursing a 6-0 lead the Scots played much of the game on the back foot, struggling to get any meaningful possession against the English pack in which the twin policemen, Inspector Paul Ackford and PC Wade Dooley, dominated the sidelines. The latter is said to have made Peter Phillips yelp in pain as the Princess Royal’s son shook hands with the England team ahead of the match whilst sporting a kilt. The giant English lock crushed the poor boy’s hand and growled some sartorial advice into the bargain.

Another report from the time lauds Andrew’s “astute tactical kicking” that kept the Scots pinned deep in their own half for long stretches of the game. One Scot can vouch for it.

Scotland winger Iwan Tukalo: “As a winger playing against Rob Andrew I was left with a headache because he was outstanding at noticing if you were out of position. Come up too flat and he’d put the ball over your head. Lie too deep and he’d launch the backs. I was always trying to catch his eye to let him know I was where I was meant to be. He had a horrible ability to make you look foolish otherwise.”

Jonathan Webb kicked two penalties to draw England level, the second coming on 57 minutes, but most people forget that the full-back was profligate in front of the posts with four other penalties sailing wide.

Andrew: “Webby was kicking that season because I didn’t do much kicking for a few years. I wasn’t consistent enough.”

It wasn’t just the English kickers who struggled with consistency. Around the one hour mark the Scots were awarded a rare penalty almost dead in front of the English sticks, perhaps a little to the right and maybe 30 yards out. Gavin Hastings lined up what looked like a “gimme” only to push it wide.

Leonard: “The only bit that really sticks out in the game was Gavin missing that kick because he’d normally kick them from everywhere. It was right in front of the posts and I think it was the only time I ever heard Rory Underwood swear. He said: ‘F*** me! He’s missed it!’ I don’t know if I was more surprised hearing Rory swear or seeing Gavin miss the kick.”

Jeffrey: “It’s not as if Gavin would have kicked it nine times from ten, he would have kicked it 99 times out of 100. He missed another one in the third place play-off [against New Zealand], he was so frustrated that he caught the next high ball, charged at the Kiwis and put [prop] Richard Loe on his arse.”

Tukalo: “It’s easy to point the finger at Gavin for missing the penalty but Gavin had won so many matches for us in the past. Collectively we could all have done better.”

The match entered the final ten minutes with the teams locked together at 6-6 although the momentum was now with the English. As a contemporary report argued, if Hastings was fallible, perhaps Scotland were too?

Underwood made a dash up the wing with one of only two passes he received all day. The English forwards carried the move on, driving deep inside the Scottish 22 and with eight minutes remaining Andrew dropped the winning goal.

Andrew: “It was obviously on for a drop goal so I’d have been crazy not to go for it. I think it was inside the last ten minutes and not long after Gavin missed that penalty so all that I had in my head was getting our noses in front.

“Our forwards were building pressure on the Scottish line, coming round the corner two or three times. It was the perfect position because I was close to the try line and the posts.

“I’d have been talking a lot to [scrum-half] Richard Hill about when I wanted the ball and then all I remember was having to get it down and then up pretty quickly because, Scott Hastings was going for the charge down.”

Tukalo: “My abiding memory of that match was, after England went ahead, I caught the ball inside my own dead ball area and Gavin launched an attack from behind his own posts. It was sheer desperation attempting to go the length against England, it wasn’t going to happen.”

Andrew: “It was a very tense game and I just remember the enormous sense of relief after the final whistle because the prize on offer was so great for both sides.”

Calder: “I think we could have won that game but it would have been a grave injustice to England who were the better team on the day.”

Jeffrey: “I remember going out on the town after the game and the supporters were great, I felt almost embarrassed because we’d blown it.”

Tukalo: “It was the most heartbreaking of games, such a disappointment, especially in front of that huge crowd at Murrayfield.”

Andrew: “We won, which is all that matters.”

Those final sentiments will doubtless be repeated by one side next Saturday.