Chapter Fourteen

THE BEST EVER BORDERS
TEAM?

WHENEVER SPORTING politics threatens to dominate the landscape of any pursuit, it is usually sensible to remind the audience that these games are meant to be fun, not an exercise in masochistic torture. What better way, therefore, to follow a chapter on the woes which have bedevilled Scotland since the IRB eventually opened the door to professionalism, than by drawing up a list of the best ever XV to have played for the Borders?

Such exercises, of course, are essentially frivolous. Who is to say how the best from 1920 would fare against their counterparts from 2010? And how does one weigh up the merits of an athlete from 50 years ago, who combined a day job with training to represent their country, against the modern generation of professional competitors who have access to video analysis, specially-tailored fitness programmes, advice from sports psychologists, personal nutritionists and the latest in sports science at their nearest institute?

And yet, I might be one of the old school, but I suspect that the majority of great sporting personalities from the past would still have thrived if their gifts had been transported to the present day. Thus, Rod Laver would continue to be the epitome of grace and effortless precision on a tennis court, Pelé or Jimmy Johnstone would carry on weaving and shimmying their way beyond would-be defenders in the 21st century, and even if Sir Garfield Sobers might not dominate cricket with bat and ball as effortlessly as when he was in his pomp, well the old fellow has just turned 75, so let’s give him a break!

In that light, the mission which I laid down to half a dozen of Scotland’s leading rugby journalists was, ahem, fairly simple. Namely, which players would they select for their imaginary best ever Borders team? I was not overly pedantic about whether the writers in question had actually witnessed all their selections, although there was an immediate response from one or two in their ranks, to the effect: ‘Please make sure you make it absolutely clear that I haven’t missed out Hughie McLeod on purpose, it’s just that I never saw him play!’ On another tack, I elected not to be too pernickety when it came to a player’s origins, because there are plenty of instances of non-Borderers who turned out for clubs in the South, yet nobody in Selkirk ever complained that Iain Paxton was actually born in Fife, while Gala were indebted to the indefatigable David Leslie whenever he shone for the Maroons, despite his roots being on Tayside.

Given the fact that we started this book with a tribute to the late Bill McLaren, it seems only appropriate that we should begin with the choices of his nephew, the broadcaster and journalist Bill Johnstone, who knuckled down to the task with the sort of careful attention to detail which used to be a hallmark of his uncle’s preparations for his peerless commentaries. His team reads as follows:

15) Chris Paterson (Gala).
14) Tony Stanger (Hawick).
13) Jim Renwick (Hawick).
12) Jock Turner (Gala).
11) Ronnie Cowan (Selkirk).
10) John Rutherford (Selkirk).
9) Gary Armstrong (Jed-Forest).
1) Hugh McLeod (Hawick).
2) Colin Deans (Hawick).
3) Tom Elliot (Gala).
4) Alan Tomes (Hawick).
5) Peter Brown (Gala).
6) Derrick Grant (Hawick).
7) David Leslie (Gala).
8) Jim Telfer (Melrose).

There are plenty of familiar faces in this attractive side, although the mellifluous Bill was the only person to plump for Cowan, who was a star on the wing at Philiphaugh before he switched codes to rugby league, while his inclusion of the Netherdale prop, Elliot, was only shared by one of the other journalists.

But there again, it was not surprising that nobody picked exactly the same ensemble, and one suspects that we could go into 50 different hostelries, scattered throughout the Borders and emerge with 50 different line-ups (and a sore head!), even if several positions were unanimous choices. The most obvious was John Rutherford, who could have walked into any club anywhere in the world at his peak, while Colin Deans is widely acknowledged as the best hooker who has ever played for Scotland and not just the Borders. There was similar unanimity when it came to Gary Armstrong, who must be one of the toughest little fighters who ever pulled on the No 9 jersey, although the symbiosis which existed between Rutherford and Roy Laidlaw was such an abiding feature of their partnership that it is difficult to think of one without the other.

Next up, we have the selections of David Ferguson, the rugby correspondent of The Scotsman and the man who worked with Jim Telfer on the latter’s autobiography, Looking Back … For Once. As somebody who grew up in the Borders, David has been obsessed with oval-ball matters since he was at school, and this is his XV.

15) Chris Paterson (Gala).
14) Tony Stanger (Hawick).
13) Keith Robertson (Melrose).
12) Jim Renwick (Hawick).
11) Roger Baird (Kelso).
10) John Rutherford (Selkirk).
9) Gary Armstrong (Jed-Forest).
1) Hugh McLeod (Hawick).
2) Colin Deans (Hawick).
3) Norman Pender (Hawick).
4) Alan Tomes (Hawick).
5) Doddie Weir (Melrose).
6) David Leslie (Gala).
7) Derrick Grant (Hawick).
8) Derek White (Gala).

Once again, the spine of the side almost picks itself, and although few of the present crop of rugby scribes are old enough to recall McLeod, one only has to speak to some of the older supporters at Mansfield Park to recognise that he was something special. David added the following: ‘In the back row, Leslie and White are not Borderers, but were players who opened my eyes to rugby, as a youngster in Gala, in the late 1970s/early 1980s. I would pick John Jeffrey and Jim Telfer if you wanted real Borderers.’ We will have them sitting on the bench, then, waiting to take out their frustrations on the opposition in the final quarter.

Paterson, the quiet achiever, who has amassed more than 100 caps and has turned out in a variety of positions, or sat on the bench for a significant spell without ever throwing a Kris Boyd-style strop, also featured on the roster chosen by Alasdair Reid, the rugby correspondent of the Sunday Herald. This ran as follows:

15) Chris Paterson (Gala).
14) Tony Stanger (Hawick).
13) Alan Tait (Kelso).
12) Jim Renwick (Hawick).
11) Roger Baird (Kelso).
10) John Rutherford (Selkirk).
9) Gary Armstrong (Jed-Forest).
1) Hugh McLeod (Hawick).
2) Colin Deans (Hawick).
3) Tom Elliot (Gala).
4) Alan Tomes (Hawick).
5) Nathan Hines (Gala).
6) John Jeffrey (Kelso).
7) David Leslie (Gala).
8) Jim Telfer (Melrose).

As many people might have recognised by this stage, there were more variations among the backs than in the forwards and the power of the ferocious Green Machine was understandably well to the fore in the panel’s deliberations. Alasdair added: ‘I’ve limited myself to players I’ve actually seen … apart from the props, where I’m going on their (lofty) reputations.’ As for those people who are inclined to argue that if Hines is Scottish, then they are Dame Edna Everage, one does not recall too many of the home fans quibbling with his Aussie background in 2006 and 2008 when the big forward was performing heroics in the Scottish cause while they beat England at Murrayfield.

Some of my respondents approached their task with rather more zeal than others. The most conscientious of the lot, which will surprise nobody who has ever witnessed him filling pages of the Edinburgh Evening News with the energy which springs from a man who truly loves his sport, was that newspaper’s rugby correspondent, Bill Lothian, who not only took care with his choices, but provided a detailed brief on the rationale behind them. First up, let’s have a look at his best ever Borders XV:

15) Chris Paterson (Gala).
14) Keith Robertson (Melrose).
13) Jock Turner (Gala).
12) Jim Renwick (Hawick).
11) Alan Tait (Kelso).
10) John Rutherford (Selkirk).
9) Gary Armstrong (Jed-Forest).
1) Hugh McLeod (Hawick).
2) Colin Deans (Hawick).
3) Jock Wemyss (Gala).
4) Jock Beattie (Hawick).
5) Billy Hunter (Hawick).
6) John Jeffrey (Kelso).
7) David Leslie (Gala).
8) Jim Telfer (Melrose).

This was certainly a more eclectic line-up than some of the others in this chapter, but Bill added the following comments, which shed light on his reasons for his second-row picks, neither of whom appeared on any the other lists.

I make no apologies for starting with two players who never made a Lions tour, because they unquestionably should have done and, in the case of the full-back, there is hopefully still time. I sat a few feet away from the slightly-built Robertson when he was immediately put under pressure on his Scotland debut by the All Blacks and he passed with flying colours, going on to show great ball skills throughout his Test career.

Jim Renwick would be the first name down on any team sheet of mine and Alan Tait is a league/union legend. Jock Turner was class. John Rutherford is synonymous with time on the ball and he worked so hard on his kicking to become world-class. Gary Armstrong was extraordinarily brave and skilful enough to edge Roy Laidlaw, Bryan Redpath and a particular favourite player of mine, the ultra-competitive Duncan Paterson.

I’m fortunate to have a had a dad from the Borders (Redpath, outside Earlston), who knew his rugby and regaled me with tales of players/characters like Charlie Farmer and Wull Purdie of Jed, Willie Welsh of Hawick, Happy Wilson of Kelso and others.

But the reverence in which my dad talked of Hugh McLeod and Jock Beattie, in particular, convince me that they must be worth their place, along with Deans, who seemed to get such a raw deal from the ’83 Lions Test side in New Zealand. Jock Wemyss was capped on either side of the First World War, which was some feat and, having been taken around various Edinburgh club grounds whenever a Border side was in town, an abiding memory for me, as a youngster, was the sheer size (back then) of Hawick’s Billy Hunter. He would be tiny by today’s standards, of course.

Telfer walks in because of his work rate and sheer commitment and some of my ex-club-mates tell of playing Melrose and him standing tall in a tackle, shouting: ‘C’mon lads, they dinnae ken what a ruck be!’ Leslie, the ultimate hunting dog of a flanker, qualifies from his time at Gala (and strong-mindedness to pick his games, so as to be fresh and the star of the 1984 Grand Slam), while Jeffrey was always perpetual motion.

Bill’s choices spanned the period between 1914 and the present day, but he was fulsome in his praise for Alan Tait and that view was echoed by Kevin Ferrie, the chief rugby writer at the Herald, who sang the praises of the man who excelled in both rugby codes. Asking me to stress that this XV only includes players he has watched in the flesh – which explains the omission of Hugh McLeod – Kevin’s team reads thus:

15) Peter Dods (Gala).
14) Chris Paterson (Gala).
13) Alan Tait (Kelso).
12) Jim Renwick (Hawick).
11) Roger Baird (Kelso).
10) John Rutherford (Selkirk).
9) Gary Armstrong (Jed-Forest).
1) Jim Aitken (Gala).
2) Colin Deans (Hawick).
3) Geoff Cross (Border Reivers).
4) Alan Tomes (Hawick).
5) Iain Paxton (Selkirk).
6) John Jeffrey (Kelso).
7) David Leslie (Gala).
8) Derek White (Gala).

Straight away, this strikes one as a team with plenty of oomph, with the versatile Paxton able to slot into the second row, while it was perhaps surprising that Kevin was one of only two people to choose the redoubtable Aitken, who was one of the cornerstones of the Scottish front row at the same time as he was leading his country to Grand Slam glory in the late winter of 1984.

The last of our part-time selectors is William Paul, who used to be a colleague of mine on Scotland on Sunday and who can remember the days when our then editor, Andrew Jaspan – a Mancunian, incidentally – decided that his newspaper should fling caution to the wind and prepare a pull-out for publication on the day after the 1990 Scotland–England clash. If the match had progressed as anticipated, climaxing in Will Carling’s visitors lifting the Grand Slam, Triple Crown and Calcutta Cup, this might have precipitated one of the biggest acts of mass littering ever witnessed in Scotland, but mercifully, the editor’s faith was vindicated and the paper, which came out on Sunday 18 March, duly sold more copies than any edition since the launch issue. Willie’s line-up is:

15) Chris Paterson (Gala).
14) Tony Stanger (Hawick).
13) Jim Renwick (Hawick).
12) Gregor Townsend (Gala).
11) Keith Robertson (Melrose).
10) John Rutherford (Selkirk).
9) Gary Armstrong (Jed-Forest).
1) Jim Aitken (Gala).
2) Colin Deans (Hawick).
3) Hugh McLeod (Hawick).
4) Alan Tomes (Hawick).
5) Peter Brown (Gala).
6) John Jeffrey (Kelso).
7) David Leslie (Gala).
8) Jim Telfer (Melrose).

On first inspection, the only major quibble lies in the inclusion of the mercurial but inconsistent Townsend, and yet that ignores the fact that he dazzled during the 1999 Five Nations Championship, even if one suspects that he would be better paired with somebody like Tait. Yet, on the other hand, this is the only side which finds room for both Aitken and McLeod who, together with Deans, would surely have comprised a fearsome front row. Willie added: ‘There was no place for Roy Laidlaw and Craig Chalmers, which seems wrong almost. It was also a toss-up between Derek White and David Leslie, while Tony Stanger gets in on the back of his famous Grand Slam try which cheered a nation.’

Many Border aficionados will have their own views on this subject, so it seemed a decent notion to draw up two lists of the best players the Borders have produced in the last 100 years and invite readers of this book to suggest their own formations and offer their opinions on how the contest might have unfolded. These are my selections, and, hopefully, they reflect the massive amount of international-class performers who have paraded their talents in the South and also glittered on the global stage, whether for their homeland or as part of various Lions parties in the southern hemisphere. And, in order to put together two fine partnerships, I have reunited Rutherford and Laidlaw in one of the sides and matched up the more recent duo of Chalmers and Armstrong in the other.

In the spirit of the occasion, one team is called ‘The Borders’ and the other ‘The South’. And, who knows, perhaps, at some stage in the future, some Internet wizard can turn this contest into a ‘virtual’ match, light the touch-paper and await the sparks. At any rate, one can offer two confident predictions. Firstly, that no matter the victors, they would know they had been in the mother of all scraps by the conclusion. And secondly, that a massive number of spectators would willingly turn out to watch these warriors do battle.

THE BORDERS
15) Chris Paterson (Gala).
14) Tony Stanger (Hawick).
13) Jim Renwick (Hawick).
12) Jock Turner (Gala).
11) Roger Baird (Kelso).
10) Craig Chalmers (Melrose).
9) Gary Armstrong (Jed-Forest).
1) Jim Aitken (Gala).
2) Ross Ford (Border Reivers).
3) Tom Elliot (Gala).
4) Alan Tomes (Hawick).
5) Doddie Weir (Melrose).
6) John Jeffrey (Kelso).
7) David Leslie (Gala).
8) Derek White (Gala).

THE SOUTH
15) Peter Dods (Gala).
14) Keith Robertson (Melrose).
13) Alan Tait (Kelso).
12) Gregor Townsend (Gala).
11) Iwan Tukalo (Selkirk).
10) John Rutherford (Selkirk).
9) Roy Laidlaw (Jed-Forest).
1) Hugh McLeod (Hawick).
2) Colin Deans (Hawick).
3) Jock Wemyss (Gala).
4) Peter Brown (Gala).
5) Iain Paxton (Selkirk).
6) Kelly Brown (Border Reivers).
7) Derrick Grant (Hawick).
8) Jim Telfer (Melrose).