Seventy Years Ago – The Year Scotland "Won" The Six Nations

RUGBY'S Six Nations Championship, concluded on Saturday. England won the competition – Scotland finished fourth. However, 70-years ago, it was all so different, when the Scots emerged, top of the pile, from what might be considered the inaugural "Six Nations".

These were a series of unofficial "Victory" internationals, which re-introduced top-class rugby to the sporting calendar, after the Second World War. For these games, England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales were joined by "The Kiwis", a side of New Zealand Army soldiers, some of whom got straight back onto the rugby pitch from years in Prison of War camps in Germany.

The Kiwis only fielded one pre-War All Black, their captain Charlie Saxton, but, a further 15 of the 31-strong squad, including future greats such as full-back Bob Scott and the legendary All Blacks coach Fred Allen, would go on to wear the black jersey adorned with thesilver fern, once they returned to New Zealand.

And they proved their fitness to take on the five international sides, by winning four of their "internationals", losing only to Scotland, at Murrayfield – the only time a representative Scottish side has ever beaten a New Zealand one.

The series cannot be regarded as a "normal" six nations tournament, since the sides did not all play each other. Scotland did not play France, the Kiwis did not travel to Dublin, while the number of games each country played differed: Wales played seven games, Scotland and England six, the Kiwis and France five and Ireland four.

The matches kicked off on 24 November, 1945, at Twickenham, where the touring New Zealanders showed, official All Blacks or no, official international or not – they were a team to be reckoned with as they beat England 18-3.

There was one other game in 1945, on 22 December, 1945, when Wales beat France 8-0 at St Helen's, Swansea. The Welsh were also first into action in 1946, going down 11-3 to the Kiwis, at Cardiff Arms Park on 5 January.

Two weeks later, on 19 January, there was the first double-header, England lowering Welsh colours with a 25-13 win in Cardiff, while, up at Murrayfield, Scotland were posting that still unique win over the New Zealanders, winning 11-6.

The New Zealanders led 3-0 at half-time, courtesy of a Woolley try, but J Anderson of London Scottish levelled, before Bill Munro of Glasgow High School FP touched down. Future Lions player and manager Doug Smith converted to make it 8-3. Hawkes Bay full-back HE Cooke kicked a penalty for the Kiwis, but winger Anderson, who never won a full cap, scored a second, unconverted try, to ensure Scotland's win.

The Irish got in on the act, at Lansdowne Road, a week later, going down 3-4 to the French.

A week later Wales went down to their third straight loss, when the Scots travelled to St Helen's, Swansea and won 25-6. Melrose's Charlie Drummond came in for Anderson for this game which saw the Scots get off to a flyer – Douglas Elliot scored an unconverted try, then Glasgow Accies' centre CR Bruce scored, with full back and captain Keith Geddes of London Scottish converting. Drummond then scored another unconverted try before future Chief Constable and SRU President John Orr touched down, Geddes converted and Scotland led 16-0 at the interval.

Glyn Davies the Pontypridd outside-half offered Wales hope with a great solo try, but, this was cancelled-out by a second Elliot try, negated in turn by a try from Llanelli flanker G Bevan, before Scotland pulled away to extinguish the fight-back, scrum-half Gus Black of Edinburgh University scoring a try and Geddes goaling a penalty.

Gus Black - the future 1950 Lion was one of Scotland's 1946 heroes

The games were now coming thick and fast and four days later, on 6 February, England deepened Irish gloom with a 14-6 Twickenham win.

The return game between England and Wales was staged at Twickenham, on 23 February, with the Welsh gaining revenge for their Cardiff loss, with a narrow 3-0 win. That same afternoon, up at Murrayfield, Scotland maintained their good form by beating the Irish 9-0. The scorers here were Munro, with a try which Geddes converted and Watsonians' stand-off IJM Lumsden, who landed a second-half dropped goal, then worth four points.

There was more bad news for the Irish in their next match, at Cardiff, on 9 March, with Wales winning 6-4. Twenty-four hours later, in Paris, the Kiwis got back to winning ways after their Murrayfield reverse, by beating France 14-9. Six days later, the action switched to Twickenham, where England beat Scotland 12-8 to inflict the only defeat the men in navy blue suffered during the entire series.

Scotland actually led 8-0 at half-time at Twickenham, JRS Innes of Aberdeen GSFP and CR Bruce scoring tries, with Geddes converting the Bruce try. However, England lasted the pace better and on the back of a superb effort from their pack, hit back to overhaul Scotland for victory in the final 20 minutes.

But, Scotland bounced back quickly from this, edging-out Wales 13-11 at Murrayfield, on 30 March, to complete a double over the men in red.

This game was much closer than the Swansea match had been. Cardiff flanker Haydn Jones put the Welsh ahead, Bill Cleaver converting, but, a Drummond try, converted by Geddes, made it all-square at the break. Newport wing WE Williams had a try to restore the Welsh lead, but a Geddes penalty squared matters. L Williams, the other Welsh winger, then restored the Welsh lead with an unconverted try, but the strain of playing all but the first 15 minutes with 14 men, Newport full back Terry Griffiths had to go off with a broken rib, told on the Welsh and when Bruce touched down, Geddes's conversion was enough to win the game for the Scots.

Between these two games – on 24 March, down in Toulouse, the Kiwis had again beaten France, this time by 13-10.

England then travelled North to Murrayfield for the return game with Scotland, on 22 April, with the home side scoring a comprehensive 27-0 win over their oldest enemy, before the whole shooting match concluded with a 12-0 win for the French, over Wales, at Stade Colombes in Paris.

As with the game against Wales, that Murrayfield match turned on an injury, English full back HJM Uren of Waterloo retiring hurt after 225 minutes, and the English could not overcome their one-man handicap.

When Uren went off, Scotland were leading 6-0. via an unconverted try by lock AGM Watt of Edinburgh Academicals-Wanderers, and a Geddes penalty. Bruce then scored an unconverted try to make it 9-0 at half-time, and, as England wilted after the break, Lumsden, Watt, Munro and centre WD MacLennan of Watsonians all scored tries, with Geddes converting the first three.

Douglas Elliot

Scotland used 22 players in the six games. The team against the Kiwis was: K I Geddes (capt) (London Scottish), J Anderson (London Scottish), WH Munro (Glasgow HSFP), CR Bruce (Glasgow Academicals, DWC Smith (Aberdeen University), IJM Lumsden (Watsonians), AW Black (Edinburgh University); IC Henderson (Edinburgh Academicals-Wanderers), GG Lyall (Gala), R Aitken (London Scottish), AGM Watt (Edinburgh Academicals-Wanderers), J Kirk (Edinburgh Academicals-Wanderers), WID Elliot (Edinburgh Academicals-Wanderers), DW Deas (Heriot's FP),

JH Orr (Edinburgh City Police).CW Drummond (Melrose) came into the team against Wales; JR McClure (Ayr) played against Ireland, JRS Innes (Aberdeen GSFP), and KSH Wilson (London Scottish) played at Twickenham, while FH Coutts (Melrose) came into the team against Wales at Murrayfield and WD MacLennan (Watsonians) and TGH Jackson (Cheltenham) were in the team which hammered the handicapped English at Murrayfield.

IC Henderson and JRS Innes had been capped pre-war, every other player except J Anderson, J Kirk, JR McClure and KSH Wilson went on to be capped in official internationals which resumed in 1947.

In all, 17 Victory Internationals were played. Scotland had the strongest claim to have "won" the whole thing. They had won five of their six matches, an 83% success rate. Next most-successful were the Kiwi soldiers, whose four wins in five games gave them an 80% success rate. England were third, with a 50% rating, three wins and three losses in their six matches, ahead of Wales, whose four wins and three losses from their seven games represented a 42.85% success rate. France, with two wins and three losses from their five games posted a 40% success rate, leaving the Irish, who lost all four of their games, to collect the mythical wooden spoon.

The Five Nations officially resumed the following season, with Wales and England sharing the title, after three wins each, Ireland recovered to finish third, with the French fourth and the Scots, whitewashed by losing all four games, in what was to become an all too familiar fifth and last place – their heroics of the previous season all but forgotten.