XV-a-Side rugby column: Meeting JPR Williams MBE

WEEKLY ANSWERS

Last week’s mystery player was Bobby Windsor of Wales and the British and Irish Lions. And it was true: Partick Thistle did follow the colour change of West of Scotland from navy to yellow and red.

FALKIRK RUGBY CLUB

Falkirk returned to action last Saturday when they played Stewart’s Melville in Edinburgh on league duty. The local side won well by 43 points to 20 to boost their title challenge.

Current leaders Peebles were held to a 12-12 draw by Newton Stewart and the gap at the top is now only one point. The seconds are back in action on Saturday, January 20, when they are at home to Kinross.

GRANGEMOUTH STAGS

The seconds were at home to Strathmore seconds and looked impressive in a 46-31 win against a side who were above them in the league and kept the crowd entertained on a bitterly cold afternoon.

BO’NESS RUGBY CLUB

Bo’ness were deducted three points for being unable to field a side against league leaders Crieff and Strathearn and the game should now be played on Saturday, February 3.

WOMEN’S RUGBY

Grangemouth women faced another blank Sunday.

RUGBY MEMORIES

I had the good fortune to meet JPR Williams in Bridgend when we were invited down to meet with a group of ex-players in the town. The group met regularly for an all-day breakfast in a local restaurant, and we arrived in good time.

I asked our host who was who in his group and he replied with a smile, saying: “Put it this way, you two are the only ones who didn’t play for Wales.”

One latecomer was instantly recognisable. The grey hair couldn’t disguise the familiar sideburns of JPR himself.

He sat at the back with his friends and was just accepted as one of the group. When we had finished explaining the Rugby Memories project, he came over to join us.

"I’m just a humble bone doctor, but my wife works with older people and she will be really interested in this,” he recalled.

He was the most modest of men and I would have to admit that we were star struck in the extreme. We passed on greetings from our ambassador Sandy Carmichael, and he recalled many of their great adventures from the Lions tours of 1971 and 1974.

Quite often you can be disappointed when you meet your sporting heroes, but this time he lived up to all the expectations. Sandy had told us that he was a really nice guy and he certainly was.

He must have spent almost an hour with us asking about the project and how it worked, as well as talking about Sandy and that game against The All Blacks that has become the stuff of legends.

Definitely one of the greatest players I have ever seen and such a modest and humble guy.

TRUE OR FALSE?

Chris Paterson has scored more points for Scotland than Gavin Hastings.