We Have Lost Another Iconic Figure

AFTER SATURDAY, 2023 can only get better. The death of the great Ken Scotland has left me, and I presume all the other Baby Boomers, who got into rugby in the late 1950s devastated. Kenneth James Forbes Scotland was my first rugby hero. Scotland has had great full backs before Ken, and great ones – Andy Irvine, Gavin Hastings, Stuart Hogg, since. But, for me, none of them comes close to Ken – he redefined the position.

 

picture courtesy of Craig Watson/Offside Line

But, he was more than just a number 15. He could play anywhere across the back-line, he even, back in the days when Lions had to be ready to fill-in almost anywhere, played scrum-half for them during the 1959 Tour of Australia and New Zealand. He was also, again something which is perhaps impossible to imagine today, a double internationalist – also representing Scotland at cricket. Needless to say, he was also a fine golfer, indeed, he could play pretty much every sport well. For instance, while at school, he captained the Rugby XV, the Cricket XI and the Tennis team.

Today, he would go seamlessly from George Heriot's School into the Edinburgh ranks and spend his entire career playing rugby. Back when he left school, he had to do his two years' National Service, before going up to Cambridge, where his form deserted him to the extent he was playing in the third XV, before recovering to win his Blue.

The demands of work meant he could only commit to that single Lions Tour, on which he went as expected back-up full-back, before emerging as one of the genuine stars of the Tour. He had a somewhat nomadic working career, during which he turned out for various clubs, indeed, he “had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus,” having played for 34 different teams, from small club sides right up to the Barbariand, Scotland and The Lions during his long career.

I first encountered Ken in a professional capacity, when, while working as the National Trust for Scotland's representative at Brodick Castle, he was persuaded to coach the then recently-formed and struggling Arran club. He made an immediate impact, the locals loved him – and Ken enjoyed life on the island.

Back when I was the go-to man for Scottish sporting obituaries, I wanted to do an anniversary retrospective for The Scotsman on Ken's legendary first cap – when, on 5 January, 1957, he dropped a goal then kicked a penalty to secure the Scots a 6-0 win over France at Colombes.

Overtures were made via Heriot's; back came the response: “No thanks – you're only seeking information for my obituary,” was how Ken took the approach. But, on being assured I was in no hurry to write him off, he agreed to speak with me. I got a smashing interview and a well-received piece in The Hootsmon followed. It was a career highlight. I gather Ken liked the piece, which is always pleasing to a writer.

His autobiography, written as a memoir for his sons, was a joyous and very-easy read, but, since he was such an easy player to watch, that is hardly surprising.

Scottish Rugby has lost an absolute legend, with Ken's passing – that he was one of the founding inductees into the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame was entirely justified. He is also in the multi-sports Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. Those of us who were fortunate enough to see him lighting-up Murrayfield and the other grounds he graced are left with fond memories of an all-time great. RIP Ken, and my sincere condolences to the Scotland family and the wider Goldenacre one.

EDINBURGH'S last gasp win over Zebre, at the DAM Health Stadium on Saturday was the David Dods of ugly wins. It was a very-hard watch, but, to be fair to the home team – they kept going and got their five-point reward when youthful hooker Paddy Harrison plunged over for the crucial score just as the clock went dead.

It perhaps summed-up Edinburgh's day that Blair Kinghorn had to drop-kick the crucial conversion, after the ball was twice blown off the tee.

There was a crowd shot, just before half-time, of a whole phalanx of Scottish internationalists from Edinburgh, sitting in the crowd – either injured or on rotational rest protocol. Seeing the likes of Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, “Mish” Watson and WP Nel sitting there, well wrapped-up against the conditions perhaps emphasised Edinburgh's problem.

Franco Smith at Glasgow is a much-more-experienced coach than Mike Blair. He certainly appears to have squad rotation down to a fine art, and while Blair still struggles to get the balance between his stars and his journeymen right, at the other end of the M8, Smith looks to do it better.

I appreciate it is asking a lot of him to have him playing at 10 in one game, at 15 the next, then, as on Saturday, out on the wing, but, I feel Blair Kinghorn's versatility is perhaps holding him back.

Duhan van der Merwe, whose slot big Blair was filling on Saturday is a very-big specimen, who goes looking for someone to run over. He's a wee bit like the late Jonah Lomu there. Kinghorn might be as tall as the South African-born winger, but, he's a lot lighter. So, when, as he repeatedly did on Saturday, he cuts back inside, I find myself shouting at the TV, for him to back his pace.

Modern thinking appears to be – the touchline is the defence's friend, so wingers should try to keep as far away from the line as possible. I still believe, there is no more exciting sight in the game than a fast winger going on an arcing in to out to back in run – simply backing their pace.

The likes of Arthur Smith, Dave Shedden, Steve Munro, Iwan Tukalo or Derek Stark used to make such runs regularly – I would love to see Kinghorn adding such gliding runs to his repertoire when he plays in the back three.