With Duncan Weir included in Scotland squad v Wales the Hawks stand off factory continues to work with Duncan following the likes of Mike Adamson Sevens and Ruaridh Jackson and dare I say it turning back time our Hon Pres Brian Simmers


Last week GHK Hon President Percy Friebe featured in our international nostalgia posting of 1952
Continuing with the theme but we move the clock on to 1965 when Hawks Hon President Brian Simmers played at stand off against Wales

With his scrum half partner Tremayne Rodd London Scottish they faced a formidable Welsh half back pairing of Clive Rowlands and David Watkins
In the previous encounter in Edinburgh in 1963 Rowlands brought about a change in the laws
In that match Wales did not produce one combined passing movement in a game with 111 line-outs and Clive Rowlands kicked almost every time he received the ball. Hence the no kicking direct to touch from outside the 22 law was born

Brian's half back partner an excellent backgammon player who ended up as Lord Rennell had a career that ended in a controversy that today seems somewhat quaint.
In 1966 Rodd reported on the British Lions tour of Australia, New Zealand and Canada for The Observer and The Scotsman, and four years later (by which time he was playing for Richmond) this was cited by the Scottish Rugby Union as a breach of his amateur status.The SRU at that time saw themselves as a bastion of amateurism
His former club, London Scottish, announced that they would cancel their fixtures with Richmond should they select Rodd in their team. Richmond withdrew him, but reinstated him after the Rugby Union said that, in its view, Rodd was not, and never had been, a professional. In turn, the International Rugby Board then overturned this ruling.
As Lord Rennell, at the age of 58 he played for a Lords and Commons rugby side that toured South Africa. The parliamentarians also took on a team in New Zealand that included the former All Blacks captain David Kirk. The British team won 14-12, and Rennell's performance prompted Lord Addington to observe: "He was throwing himself into tackles and making breaks all day. He even outplayed David Kirk."

Brian certainly travelled in some august company and he also played behind a pretty useful Scottish pack which included the likes of Jim Telfer and a second row of Peter Stagg Sale and Mike Campbell-Lamerton London Scottish the former could challenge Richie Gray in stature
Although billed as 6' 7.5" (2.02m) tall, there was a suggestion that Stagg was nearly six inches (15 cm) taller than his usual partner in the Scotland second row, Mike Campbell-Lamerton, who was himself about 6' 4.5" (1.95M).

Unfortunately in the course of the action Brian sustained a knee injury but as subs were only introduced to international rugby in 1968 he had to soldier on

Despite his injury he dropped two goals but still Scotland went down narrowly 12-14

This article was originally posted on 8-Feb-2012, 13:35 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 8-Feb-2012, 18:11.