Dave Rollo lauded as Howe of Fife names Duffus Park stand in his honour

The stand at Duffus Park will officially be named The Dave Rollo Stand, recognising the remarkable contribution Dave has made to Howe of Fife, Scottish rugby and the wider game throughout his life.

For Dave, the honour is one he never expected.

“I can’t believe it but I’m hugely honoured,” he said. “I opened the stand in 2016 and have my own seat in it, so it’s amazing that the club have decided to name the stand after me 10 years after the opening.”

Dave Rollo first pulled on a Howe of Fife jersey at the age of 19, playing for the club’s second XV against Perthshire’s equivalent. Remarkably, it was his first-ever game of rugby.

His introduction to the sport was memorable for more than one reason.

“Not long after joining the club in 1953 at the age of 19, I had my first game for the 2nd XV against Perthshire Rugby Club,” Dave recalled. “I wasn’t too sure what I was doing, but my friend Willie Bell said that he would keep me right.

“At one point I picked up the ball at a loose ruck, headed for the try line, only to hear Willie Bell shouting, ‘Dave, you’re going the wrong way!’

“Although I didn’t know much about rugby, my natural strength gained from farming was a huge asset in the scrum.”

Now 92 years old, Dave went on to become one of Scotland’s finest prop forwards. In his playing days, he was equally capable at loosehead or tighthead and represented Scotland on 40 occasions between 1959 and 1968 – every one of those caps earned while a Howe of Fife player. He also toured South Africa with the British & Irish Lions in 1962.

One of the highlights of his international career came 61 years ago when Dave lined up for Scotland against New Zealand. The All Blacks had already defeated Ireland, Wales and England on their tour, leaving them on course for a historic Grand Slam. Scotland, however, had other ideas and in a famous 0-0 draw, Dave and his teammates denied the Kiwis that clean sweep.

Yet despite everything he achieved at international and Lions level, Dave’s relationship with Howe of Fife has always been about far more than rugby.

Asked what the club has meant to him across more than seven decades, his answer was simple: friendship.

“The club has meant friendship,” he said. “Many of my farming friends played for Howe, so it was very much a social occasion.

“I’ll always be grateful to the Howe for the opportunities and experiences rugby has given me. Getting to travel all over the world and to meet so many interesting people, many of whom became lifelong friends. I can’t thank the club enough for all that they’ve done for me.”

Now a regular spectator at his beloved Duffus Park, it is particularly poignant that the stand from which he has watched generations of players take to the field will now carry his name.

And when asked about his favourite memories with the club, Dave found it impossible to pick just one.

“Where do I start? There are so many!”

Among those memories are the Coleraine Irish Tour in 1969 – “Rugby, Guinness and friendship” and Howe’s trip to Amsterdam for the Heineken Sevens in 1988. He also remembers the support he received from home club members during his Scotland career, with the familiar cry of “Howe, Howe, Howe” ringing out during international matches.

Another treasured memory came years later, when he travelled to Murrayfield to watch the Bell Baxter/Howe Under-18 team win the Scottish Schools Cup.

For a man whose playing career took him to some of the biggest stages in world rugby, it says plenty about his affection for Howe of Fife that some of his fondest memories remain rooted in the club, its people and the friendships formed along the way.

To celebrate this special honour, Howe of Fife will host The Dave Rollo Legacy Lunch on Saturday, alongside the club’s 1st XV fixture against Newton Stewart in Arnold Clark National League Division 2.

It promises to be a fitting celebration of a man whose name has long been synonymous with Howe of Fife and whose legacy will now quite literally stand at the heart of Duffus Park.