Oh Canada! An All But Forgotten Enjoyable Tour

WE CONTINUE our trawl through Scottish Rugby history with a look at a tour which even I, with over 60-years' experience of the roller coaster ride that is following Scottish rugby had forgotten about – the 1964 tour to Canada.

Having broken the mould of touring with their 1960 safari to South Africa, the SRU sought fresh climes again four years later, by sending “A Scottish XV” squad on a five-match tour of the dominion. The Scots travelled in high spirits, they had shared that season's Five Nations with Wales, and, in what is now remembered as: “Jim Telfer's Match,” they had won the Calcutta Cup outright for the first time since 1950.

As ever in those days of amateurism, they had to travel without one or two players. Full back Stewart Wilson had university exams, Peter Brown, then just establishing himself in the boiler house could not get time off work, while Mike Campbell-Lammerton and Ronnie Glasgow had been chosen for an International squad, to take-on the Springboks in a series of special anniversary celebration games.

The Scots would still be the first of the Home Countries to visit Canada, the tour being specifically to mark the 75^th anniversary of the founding of the British Columbia Rugby Union.

The selectors named the following squad:

Back Three: Ken Scotland (Aberdeenshire), Christy Elliot (Langholm), Sandy Hinshelwood (Stewart's College FP).

Centres: Brian Henderson (Edinburgh Wanderers), Ian Laughland, Jim Shackelton (both London Scottish), Geordie Stevenson (Hawick).

Stand-Offs: David Chisholm (Melrose), Brian Simmers (Glasgow Academicals).

Scrum-halves: Eck Hastie (Melrose), Graham Young (Watsonians).

Hookers: Norman Bruce (London Scottish), Frank Laidlaw (Melrose).

Props: Brian Neill (Edinburgh Academical, Captain), David Rollo (Howe of Fife), Norman Suddon (Hawick).

Locks: Jim Buchanan (Jordanhill College), Billy Hunter (Hawick), Erle Mitchell (Edinburgh University).

Back Row: Keith Bearne (Liverpool), Pringle Fisher (Royal High School FP), Derrick Grant (Hawick), Jim Telfer (Melrose).

Canadian Tour captain Brian Neill, centre of the picture

about to tackle All Black Denis Young.

The joint tour managers were Charlie Drummond of Melrose and Hector Monro of Langholm and the party flew out to Toronto, from Prestwick, on 5 May.

Looking back on the tour this week, Brian Simmers said: “It was a terrific tour, the Canadian hospitality was wonderful, the opposition, apart from British Columbia, was not particularly taxing and we had a great time.

“It was maybe in some ways too-long, at least in Toronto, where one or two of the guys fell in love with Canadian ladies.”

The opening match pitted the Scots against Ontario. It was played on a rock-hard pitch, and in winds gusting to 50 miles per hour. The Scots won 17-10, a score line which was put down to fantastic backs to the wall defence from the home team.

Ken Scotland opened the scoring with a penalty goal, but this was quickly overtaken by a converted breakaway try from the home side. However, a try from skipper Neill, converted by Scotland and an unconverted Christy Elliot touch down had the Scots 11-5 up at the break.

Fantastic defence rationed the Scots to two unconverted tries in the second half, Jim Telfer getting the first of these, Keith Bearne the second, before a last-minute converted try for Ontario completed the scoring.

The tourists remained in Toronto for the second match, a 16 tries, 75-0 romp against a totally out-gunned Eastern Universities XV.

Leading 26-0 at the interval, the Scots really let rip in the second 40 minutes. Top try scorer was flanker Bearne, who touched down five times. Brian Simmers grabbed four tries, the pick of them being when he ghosted past seven opponents to touch down.

Brian Simmers - has fond memories of the Tour

“I was never a great try-scorer, and, I am sorry to say I had forgotten all about those four in one game,” said the ever-modest Simmers, now Hon. President of Glasgow Hawks.

Geordie Stevenson, Pringle Fisher and Sandy Hinshelwood each scored two tries, Ken Scotland claimed one try, plus eight conversions and a penalty goal, with Christy Elliot completing the scoring with four conversions.

The touring party then flew right across Canada, over the Rockies and on to Vancouver Island, where they faced British Columbia, traditionally the powerhouse province in Canadian rugby.

But, the gap between Canadian and Scottish rugby was again exposed, as the Scots triumphed 21-0. Once again, they struggled a wee bit in the first half, in whch their only score was an unconverted Geordie Stevenson try, supporting a Jim Telfer break. In the second half, however, they cut loose. Ian Laughland scored, Ken Scotland converting; then Stevenson scored a second try, from another Telfer burst, before Davie Chisholm and Brian Henderson scored tries, each converted by Ken Scotland, to complete a comfortable win.

From Vancouver Island, it was on to one of the most-senic ferry journeys on earth, to Vancounver, to face WESTERN CANADA, at Brockton Oval, in the heart of the magnificent Stanley Park, Vancouver.

Jim Telfer opened the scoring with an unconverted try, before a brace of Christy Elliot penalties put the Scots 9-0 up at the interval. In the second half, Jim Shackelton added a try, converted by Ken Scotland, but the tourists hopes of a third straight whitewash were undone when Mackee scored a last-gasp try for the hosts.

The party then retraced their steps across the vast nation, to Montreal, where they would play their final game, against Quebec.

A Brennan penalty put the home team ahead early-on. This, however, was quickly nullified by a Pringle Fisher try, converted by Christy Elliot.

After that, it was very much the Sandy Hinshelwood show, as the young winger profited from his side's dominance. He scored a first-half hat-trick,the last of his three touch downs converted by Elliot, to put the tourists 16-3 in front at the change over.

Sandy Hinshelwood - five tries in one game

Still Sandy wasn't finished; he scored the first two of seven second-half tries, completing a rush of five straight tries in one match. The other second half touch downs were credited to Laughland, Simmers, Bearne, Shackelton and Laiughland again, with Elliot and Chisholm each converting two.

Hinshelwood might have grabbed the headlines with his try scoring, but, the man who really impressed the watching Canadians was Brian Simmers, playing out of position.

His display, at full-back was described as: “The finest demonstration of running full-back play yet seen in Canada.” Modest as always, Simmers this week described that as a case of: “me being allowed to write a bit of the report!!”

All five games won, 38 tries scored, one or two younger players blooded, some fantastic Canadian hospitality enjoyed, it was a happy party who arrived back in Scotland in late May after a wonderful trip, short tours were now here to stay.