Scottish link to inaugural final

SCOTLAND may have gone out to New Zealand in the quarter-finals of the 1987 Rugby World Cup, but there were two Scots involved in the final – touch judges Brian Anderson and Jim Fleming.

It’s a contrast with the present day, with no Scottish referees on duty at a Rugby World Cup since 1999.

Anderson also refereed the epic semi-final between France and Australia. “Some critics were kind enough to describe the match as the best they had ever seen,” recalled Anderson yesterday.

“I’m sure I can say that neither myself nor Jim Fleming made a cent from rugby but we saw the world and certainly have no regrets about the era we operated in.

“If I have a regret it is that there are no Scottish refs at the current tournament and it is a bit of a mystery why that is happening.”

Anderson refereed 19 international matches, his final appearance coming when he had to retire with a hamstring injury during a match at the 1991 World Cup.