We Have Lost A Lion And A Legend

Sandy Carmichael - 2 February, 1944 - 27 October, 2021

 

THE SCOTTISH media has been going ape shit over the past couple of days, desperately trying to outdo each other in their praise of Walter Smith, following his death after a long illness.

In the midst of it all, in the quiet, understated way which characterised so much of his life, for my money an even-greater Scottish sporting hero, Alexander Bennett “Sandy” Carmichael MBE slipped away quietly on Wednesday afternoon. ABC had been ill for some time, so his passing, sad thought it was, was in part a blessing to his family.

There was a sense of great anticipation when Sandy emerged from Loretto School in the mid-1960s. He was a prop, but, more-importantly, he was bigger than any previous Scottish prop. He had been a number eight at school and even in his international pomp, he was an occasional and very-successful alternative front of the line-out jumper.

I can still remember the first time I ever clapped eyes on Sandy. He was working for a big much-shifting company, Scottish Land Devel,opment Corporation. SLDC was a customer of the tyre company I worked for then, so, when I walked into the old transport cafe at Harthill, and saw this massive figure sitting with some of the SLDC guys I knew, I realised, this was the fabled prop. Even in a donkey jacket, jeans and wellies – he was an impressive figure.

Sandy had joined West of Scotland, back then just about the only open club in Glasgow. He was soon promoted to the Glasgow District side and, on 25 February, 1967, the 23-year-old earned a last-minute call-up to replace veteran legend Dave Rollo at tight-head for the Irish's visit to Murrayfield. Sadly, the Irish won 5-3.

Rollo was back for the Calcutta Cup game, three weeks later, but, when the All Blacks came calling in December of that year, Sandy moved across to loose-head, with Rollo at tight-head. The pairing of the young West man and the veteran from Howe of Fife continued for the French, Welsh and Irish games of the 1968 Five Nations.

Legend has it, that Irish game being Rollo's 40^th cap, drawing him level with his old mate Hughie McLeod as the joint caps record holder, he was dropped. Sandy moved over to his natural tight-head side, where he would be first choice for the next ten years.

For that period, the Scottish props virtually picked themselves, with Ian McLauchlan wearing number one and Sandy the number three shirt. It is somehow fitting that there should be a direct link between the great McLeod/Rollo pairing and that of McLauchlan and Carmichael.

By the time the 1971 Lion party to tour Australia and New Zealand was picked, Sandy was a shoo-in to be selected. The natural assumption was that Irish legend Ray McLaughlin and Sandy would be the Test props, but, the week before the First Test, in what has gone down as The Battle of Lancaster Park, McLaughlin and Carmichael were ruthlessly punched out of the tour by the thugs of Canterbury. Sandy sustained a broken cheek bone and could barely see out of both eyes.

He had to be invalided home, out of the tour. McLauchlan, who was watching, was raging that his pal had refused to punch back against the thuggery, but, as the wee man from Tarbolton acknowledged, punching wasn't Sandy's style. The Lions won the match and McLauchlan and Sean Lynch came in to prop the Test XV.

Sandy returned to West, to the Glasgow District team and to the Scotland side, where he continued to embellish his reputation as arguably the best tight-head in the world.

When the All Blacks came to Europe in late 1972, Sandy faced them for Scotland, before, in the final match of the Tour, when the tourists faced the Barbarians, in Cardiff, Sandy was the solitary Scottish player in the star-studded Baa-Baas side.

He didn't handle the ball in “the greatest try ever scored,” but, as he modestly said: “I ran a support line right up the pitch, but, I was on-hand but wasn't needed.”

In 1974, he was picked for a second Lions Tour, this time to South Africa. However, with England's Fran Cotton in the form of his life and claiming the tight-head berth in the Tests, Sandy had to be content with life in the midweek side: 'the Dirt Trackers.”

However, while he never played in a Lions Test, Lion #497, with 16 appearances over two Tours was a key man in arguably the two greatest Lions squads – the only one to win a series in New Zealand and The Invincibles of 1974.

In time, he would captain West of Scotland and, when he retired from international rugby in 1978, he was Scotland's most-capped internationalist, the first Scot to surpass 50 caps. He was made MBE in the Queen's Silver Jubilee Honours List in 1977.

He was a member of the Scotland front five of the early 1970s, which was known as: “The Mean Machine,” McLauchlan, hooker Duncan Madsen, ABC, his West club-mate Gordon “Broon from Troon” Brown and Big Al McHarg.

At that time, forwards from Ayrshire such as McLauchlan, McHarg, Peter and Gordon – the Brown brothers, hooker Quintin Dunlop, flanker Gordon Strachan, Bill Cuthbertson and Kilmarnock brothers Ian and David Gray were in contention for the Scotland team. Not willing to be left out, Sandy used to joke he was actually from Fenwick – the nearest Ayrshire village to Glasgow.

Another Ayrshireman, Old Spierian Ackie Wilson was for many years Sandy's co-prop with West of Scotland and, in their early days, while future SRU President McLauchlan served a one-season suspension from playing for Jordanhill Gollege, he played for the West of Scotland second XV, where the regular front row was McLauchlan, Dunlop and Carmichael, the same front row which, in a week in 1971 would be part of a Scotland team which beat England twice, in the Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham, then, seven days later, in the Centenary International, at Murrayfield.

In retirement, Sandy coached, with his former players praising him highly in their tributes following his passing. But, his lasting legacy is the affection in which he is still held throughout Scottish rugby, and in particular in the west, beyond Burnbrae and West of Scotland, the club he served with such distinction throughout his career.

Even kids who never saw him play immediately recognised, when they met Sandy they were in the presence of modest greatness - he had that aura around him.

We are unlikely to see his likes again. He was years ahead of his time, as a fast, mobile, ball-carrying prop who could play a bit. In today's rugby, Sandy Carmichael would be priceless.

I would like to join everyone else in Scottish rugby in sending my sincere condolences to his family – son Trevor is today coaching at GHA – and to his remaining team mates and many friends.

Scottish Rugby is the poorer for the passing of this legendary prop and equally legendary human being.