They say travel broadens the mind. When you travel outside your own country and experience how other people live and what they hold dear, you not only gain an insight into that country but also a deeper appreciation of what you have in your native country.
Growing up, I was always reminded of my father’s Scottish heritage. He gained a couple of caps from the bench for the national side and played against – and had the good grace and foresight to lose to – the All Blacks with Oxford University.
The photo of that match hangs with pride in my living room.
Scotland has always been my sentimental side. Gavin Hastings was as much a hero for me as Serge Blanco. The Great White in sport conjures up for many people Greg Norman but for me it always makes me fondly recall John Jeffrey.
I miss the commentary of Bill McClaren and I try to make the effort to watch as many of Scotland’s games as possible.
It’s not easy being a Scotland supporter, though. This year’s Calcutta Cup match was an example of an excruciating match to follow.
It was nowhere near as frustrating as their semi-final loss to England in 1991 when Gavin Hastings missed a sitter practically right out in front and a short distance from the post.
But it certainly was more representative of what Scotland all too often serves up.
Much like supporting the Black Caps or the Kiwis, normally Scotland’s rugby fortunes are littered with humiliations and a great deal of unconvincing performances strung together.
It makes for even worse reading when you compare Scotland’s record against New Zealand. Much like the infamous 1975 match at the temporarily named Eden Lake ground, Scotland have been out of their depth.
To date, they have played New Zealand 29 times – 17 times at home, 10 times away and 2 times at World Cups – and only have two draws (at home in 1983 and 1964) to write home about. I suspect only a blank postcard was sent after the 1964 match as the final score was 0-0.
That said, there are games that stand out in my mind when I have supported Scotland. I suspect they stand out in my mind much like the All Black losses because the moments of joy supporting Scotland are few and far between.
My favourite memory of supporting Scotland was when I was living in Paris. It was a Saturday morning in 1999 and I found myself in the Gare du Nord. I noticed a lot of kilted Scots standing on the wrong side of the platform.
When I approached them to tell them they wouldn’t make it out to the ground where they were standing, they implored me to take them to the Stade de France. They had been there since Thursday and had been drinking steadily thereafter.
One of their companions had succumbed to the effects of alcohol and had stayed in his hotel to talk to God on the porcelain phone. As a result, I was able to witness Scotland take out the last ever Five Nations.
Technically the England-Wales match was not until the following day and those at the match in Paris would not realise until then that they were champions. England were leading by six points when an injury-time try by Scott Gibbs handed the Five Nations Crown to Scotland on points differential.
The Saint-Denis match didn’t start well. France scored the first try and I had to translate what the French supporters in front and behind were saying. Then a flurry of tries came Scotland’s way and I was asked to translate some colourful expressions to say back.
It was a resounding and necessary victory in the end – 36-22 – and my last memory of that day was a Moroccan street cleaner trying running down the Champs-Elysées after his street-cleaning machine that had been commandeered by a kilted Scot.
The second memory that stands out for me was when I had moved to Madrid. On my birthday in February, I got kitted out in my kilt as did my Scottish friend and we saw the 2006 Calcutta Match at Murrayfield in an Irish bar.
I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed the rugby spectacle. A score of 18-12 might sound like a scorefest but they were all from penalties and drop-goals.
It was a dour, attritional battle but the tension was great. I can still remember the elation we both felt jumping up and down like mad men at the final whistle. At that moment, snow started falling outside. Fairytale stuff.
Later in Madrid, I was given more insight into being with teams who suffer and have very few sweet moments. Friends who are married with children persuaded me to become an Atletico de Madrid season pass holder in 2008.
How those fans suffer. Their team would occasionally upset Barcelona at home in the League but it was almost comical to see how bad they could get. They reached their lowest ebb until the Argentinian coach Diego Simeone took over.
Suddenly it was like the 1992 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. The football equivalent of Dipak Patel opening the bowling and Rod Latham opening was littered throughout the team but they started winning matches. Even against teams like Real Madrid – a side that they hadn’t beaten in any game for 14 years.
Last year, it got so out of hand that they won the Spanish League title (the last time being in 1996) and made the Champions League final against their rivals. They led 1-0 for 94 minutes until the floodgates opened.
I still remember that quarter final in the Calderon stadium against Barcelona, where they were hanging on to a 1-0 lead for effectively the entire match. My long suffering friend said it was the best atmosphere he had ever witnesses and who was I to disagree with him?
When you support a team like the All Blacks, you don’t get to experience those kinds of highs. They don’t stand out as much. You’re expected to win.
The 1995 semi-final win against England was particularly satisfying but the final still remains the most bitter defeat for me. The 2011 World Cup was the inverse in a way. The semi-final win against Australia felt more like a final as we beat them for the first time in a World Cup match and all I felt after the final whistle against France was relief and an overwhelming draining sensation.
Four more years, no. But I felt the burden of 24 years of waiting on my shoulders and having it lifted off left me crumpled in an exhausted heap.
The 1996 tour win recording New Zealand’s first and only ever away series win in South Africa was a more euphoric moment. Watching that Jon Preston goal go over was a sweet moment and the long wait made it all the sweeter I guess.
Yet when people ask me as an All Black supporter if I ever get bored by winning almost every time, my response is invariably do you ever get bored by being out on a sunny day? Do you ever tire of eating a juicy sirloin steak? Do you ever get tired of drinking a refreshing beer after playing sport?
Actually, that’s not what I ask them. I think that level of smugness wouldn’t go down well for one thing. As supporters, we tend to ignore the enormous effort and sacrifice that goes into maintaining the All Black legacy.
Fans from New Zealand tend to ask the impossible and are often overly critical of winning performances. Sometimes more so than losses. The fact that the players often manage to live up to their fans’ unrealistic expectations is to their eternal credit rather than that of the New Zealand rugby public.
I do think we are more marked by our losses because we are expected to win. We tend to get defensive when we lose. Which is a shame because we often overlook very special performances.
The 1999 World Cup semi final against France, the Ellis Park Test this year, the 2012 defeat at Twickenham. Those were very special performances.
We tend not to revisit past demons. We tend to fall back on our general record but as it stands now.
So this weekend, New Zealand line up against Scotland at Murrayfield. New Zealand will probably field a few fringe players in the side – although it may sound harsh to call Dan Carter a fringe player – and despite a very promising performance against Argentina, their New Zealand coach, Vern Cotter, is all too well aware of what his team is lining up against.
My father is no longer alive but I always try to belt out Flower of Scotland. That becomes difficult when I hear the sound of pipers playing. I tend to get misty-eyed. It’s not the atrocious sound that does it.
Actually, I quite like the sound of bagpipes. It reminds me of my old man playing.
One of these days the likes of Samoa, Argentina, Scotland, Ireland, Tonga or Fiji will prevail over New Zealand. Like a million monkeys with a million typewriters, random forces will combine to create the right result.
That day will be a joyous moment for those teams. Of that there can be no doubt. Yet it can be equally said the fact that New Zealand has yet to taste defeat against those teams is a proud achievement. One that brings a smile to my face at least.
However, I am always mindful of what the other side of the coin feels like. I try to be balanced in my opinion when New Zealand wins because I know what the regular sting of defeat feels like. When New Zealand lose, I don’t deny it hurts but I always acknowledge the opponent and recognise they deserved their victory.
My father gave me a love of travel as well as a love of rugby. I will eternally be grateful for that.
I wish the Scottish team the best but when it comes to rugby, there is no side in world rugby that wins out over my beloved All Blacks.
As always, I am looking forward to this match. I will enjoy a wee dram or two during and after the game and will raise my glass to the Scots. But this week, the focus is on Hansen’s team continuing the proud record over Scotland. Let’s bring up victory 30 and let’s do it in style is my wish.
shaw
Guest
No mole get real no kiwi believes Scots or paddys can win they are boring games even if close you know they will blow it I'm saying this as sports fan it won't happen .I have no respect for them even the poms the odd time will front up you can't respect 100 years of Losing .do you respect the British Americas cup efforts 200 years of losing nope bet you dont
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
Great post Mick. I really enjoyed reading those yarns.
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
Thanks, mate.
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
It's worrying for me that Kaino has been injured a lot. This flanker combination is definitely worth trying out. I remember we got punished in the tight five one year against Scotland and can't remember if it was the same year the test in Italy. The scrums are a big concern without our top players so that'll be interesting to see where we are on Saturday before and after the bench.
Old Bugger
Guest
Aah Mick - the memories you have raised....Jack Gleeson IMO, was a younger version of Fred "The Needle" Allen who in my lifetime, introduced the need for speed in every facet of the game including the almighty rucking of the ball at the breakdown rucks.....fitness was Allen's forte which IMO, Gleeson enhanced with more ball handling play.
Wardad
Guest
Mate sitting in front of the telly with the extended family watching the satellite feed from SA is still one of my fondest memories .
Wardad
Guest
Not a good look mate , gives ammo to all those who drone on about ABS fans .....come to think of it your not a mole are you ?
Rugby Tragic
Guest
Yep Firstxv, Hansen did say that. He was part of the team with Sir Graham Henry an Wayne Smith that came up with the plan to 'rotate' players to both keep them fresh that backfired on them in Cardiff, with combinations perhaps a little underdone (I am very aware of 'other reasons' we bowed out in our worst performance of any RWC). You may recall the criticism of that program from fans and scribes alike (we are a hard bunch to keep happy!). Henry said he had learnt his lesson, whatever that means. In fact I thought it was a pretty good strategy ... at least on paper. With so many matches in consecutive weeks care must be not to burn out players. There must be a fine balance between maintaining combinations and chopping and changing. I think this is a very hard exercise to get right but so much depends on it so I am sure that the powers to be are studying just that. The time for experimentation will be over sooner than one realises...
Firstxv
Guest
Yes I remember all that when hayburner was ousted by Mourie. He was quite a visionary Gleeson and that 78 tour was really when the wheels went back on again after a very up and down 70's.
Firstxv
Guest
I heard Hansen wanted to use this tour to simulate two of the world cup matches- the last pool game and the likely quarter final, so it wouldnt surprise me if one of these matches will have them thinking its a quarter final and that nothing but a win would suffice. Given that, and the way they responded with the control they did versus England, it wouldnt surprise me if he sent them out with that goal, particularly as he would have used the half time to buck their ideas up in the second half. look at the complete control they had on the match from that point.
Rugby Tragic
Guest
Firstly Mick with the surname of 'McGrail' moniker or not, we could never have known that somewhere there was the lineage of Scottish heritage (just being a smart arse mate!). Now Mick I enjoyed your post very much. All the names, the events to triumphs and defeats mentioned, I remember, they were good times, they were not so good times but like the publican in Sydney, 'the call' of the All Blacks is too strong to ignore. The first time I ever got to see the All Blacks in the flesh was in 1956, at Eden Park for the test against the Springboks. I guess you can imagine the excitement of a 12 year old with his 'best mate' taken to that match by my 'best mate's father' who happened to be a policeman. That I saw very little of the match, we were 'on the hill' there were not grandstands at the western end of the ground and we stood for the whole match. I was not the tallest but frequently jumped up and down to see the battle raging. I have seen hundreds of matches since and I have a passion for the All Blacks in particular that borders on being at risk to be commitment during the rugby season. What Steve Hansen has now in his charges is either a) an enormous pool of talent, the likes of which I have never seen before (not referring to individuals both past and present) that has such an amazing record that is propelling it towards, according to others, a defence of the RWC next year, or b) he is bluffing, in the knowledge that the rest of the world has caught up and other than the 'odd' game when it can click (as at Eden Park this year), he has the players who can graft out wins. I think it is a bit of both ... whether the mix is sufficient to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy next year will be decided not now but in the real time of the tournament. I will be barracking for the All Blacks. ... I will rejoice if they are able to accomplish the feat of going back to back .. I will be disappointed if they are unable to climb their Everest but I will never give up supporting them.
Rugby Tragic
Guest
Kia, as pointed out earlier, following 12 changes to the team that played the Wallabies to play USE, now 13 changes to the team against England against Scotland, is 'rotation', the word that almost caused Ted to be lose the coaching job post 2007. It illustrates clearly the enormous depth NZ has as this it formidable team. If there was to be an upset on Saturday, I think the Boks loss to Ireland will pale into insignificance. I think it is fine as the players are not machines, they need to be freshened after a long season to avoid the sour taste being left following 2012 and which was almost duplicated last year but for the Houdini act. I also think that the AB's will be experimenting just a little with the RC tests and the 2 extra v Wallabies and Samoa but sincerely hope that was we approach the business end of the RWC (assuming of course no upsets!), the strongest combinations are left un-tampered with.
Rugby Tragic
Guest
Dunno mate but I think Slade is in there not only as wing (we are down one since Cory Jane went home and was not replaced) but also to cover for Dan Carter is they drag him off. In that event, Savea is warming the bench with SBW and Pulu (I hope he gets some reasonable game time for the opportunity to prove his mettle) Ben Smith I think (I hope) will remain at fullback rather than encroach on Slade's wing, as proven before a very dangerous broken field runner given an inch. I like the two starting props, I think they will be the future post RWC time (unless poached by the French!). The 13 changes from last week's side smacks of 'rotation' ... remember that word?
Mick McGrail
Guest
I too am of Scottish heritage and agree with your sentiments. My father would play the bagpipes every xmas day , you could hear the lone piper for a short time all over town for years ,he was passionate alas never made it to Scotland ,but quided the Caledonian society , and we grew up going to the gathering of the clans and Scottish dancing . His other passion was the All Blacks with the comment ,never ,ever ,underestimate the All Blacks still ringing in my ears ,when the opposition had it all over us ,bigger ,faster , yet somehow they devised another way around the obstacles . As young ones we would sit cross legged on the carpet in the early hours of the morning watching the All Blacks live in South Africa on black and white T.V.. Bill McClaren and before him Winston McCarthy did their homework on all the players on the field ,they brought colour to the spectacle ,somehow there seemed to be more characters in those days. Jack Gleeson's baby All Blacks who then replaced house hold names ,were smaller and really new kids on the blocks against an impressive French side who completely dominated the Northern Hemisphere Four Nations. The knives were out , established All Blacks Sid Going , Ian Kirkpatrick etc , had been no longer required as Jack set about moving NZ rugby from a ten man game to 15 man game , replacing Kevin Eveliegh our local All Black with Graham Mourie . No one drank at Gleeson,s Tavern for weeks after that selection .Jack was not popular , yet had the fortitude to carry on with his plan , he wanted quick passing , speed ,and liberty to the backs to show their wares . Do or die they went to Parc de France .The tactics and strategy they bought to that game had me in awe . Never ever underestimate the All Blacks , incredible, we won and no one saw it ,except for Jack Gleeson who like many of his predecessors had instilled that All Black belief. Move on and I started a club in Sydney Australia. Fledging as it was we gathered at a hotel to watch the All Blacks live . Rod McQueen's Wallabies had the Bledisloe Cup , a very good side ,and after 3 years of losses,the publican commented ,I do not get it ,I have seen your group some in tears after every defeat ,yet you come back for more every year and the numbers getting bigger, South Sydney Rabbitohs know all about this ( I was so happy for them ). Then came the moment Tana Umunga held up the cup live on our screens ,and the hotel erupted. A small girl in an All Black shirt climbed on to the top of a table and with hand on heart sang the national anthem and the crowd picked it up ,it went 2 floors , I looked out the window and there were 5 cars stationary at the lights ,the lights were green , drivers looking up ,what the hell was going on ?. Its the belief the All Blacks encapsulate and so the public. 1988 and I return to my home town . NZ is in recession ,its depressing ,people looking down at the pavement ,things are dire. Saturday and I am down town and everyone is upbeat , what gives ? , Buck Shelford and the All Blacks are playing in Wellington and for 80 minutes New Zealand forgot their woes , if there was one thing they could believe in , it was the All Blacks ,such is the integral part they play on the NZ psych- . World cup defeats have educated us in how to handle such calamities and I do not think it is so catastrophic now ,but the standard professionalism has never waned. Personally I watch them because once in while , a long time ,10 years ,more , these All Blacks can and have put on a sublime ,clinical performance. A game I watched in the early 90,s at Athletic Park . Blowing a gale sleet on the jerseys , that day the All Blacks never dropped a single pass to defeat Australia 44-3 ( stats not my strong point) not one pass in 80 minutes against all odds, thats what I hang out for . 2000 Aus v Ab,s at new Olympic Stadium and 21 points in 7 minutes. Bledisloe decider and a set move to score under the posts in Wellington Todd Blackadder as captain . So slick Tana Umunga was running back to the half way before anyone in the crowd had realised they had scored, (lost that one ) but the move I will never forget. Now its a new different set of obstacles Hansen and co must circumnavigate ,whatever they are , devise the tactics and strategy then add the insurmountable All Black belief and anything is possible.
jemainok
Guest
My favorite article I have read on this site keep it up bro.
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
Wow what a coincidence! Illustrious company you kept!
Firstxv
Guest
Sweet...just stay off those steroids man...:-)
shaw
Guest
Ireland and Scotland are lemons I doubt they will ever beat all blacks it's an embarrasing statt they never have won .Not great at football either atleast Italy and Argentina can have that comfort bunch of tosspots both nations they'll never beat abs ever
Carlos the Argie in the USA
Guest
I remember taking the train from London to Paris, after watching the AB game in Cardiff the day before. We went to Stade de France, and this guy sits next to me on the stands. He says he knows me. I recognized him as one of my team mates (though he played first team, I did not) from Pueyrredon. He was Marcelo Campo, wing of the Pumas, St George's (Old Georgian) and then Puey. I hadn't seen him in 20 years, and here we were, both watching the Pumas together.
Carlos the Argie in the USA
Guest
Careful with bike bragging. You never know if this old man is any good...:-) St Andrew's and my rugby club, Pueyrredon, have a very old tradition. Every year they play a match called Jorge Gutierrez cup, who was the founder of Pueyrredon and very linked to St Andrew's too. You are also right that it is swanky. It is where the "proper" ($$$$) people send their kids. Used to be St George's in Quilmes, but the Scots won that one.