Obituary Archives - Scottish Rugby

26 Jun 2024 - Obituary

Obituary: Jim Gracie

Born in Hawick on 12 September 1944, Jim Gracie devoted his life to his family and rugby. A centre/stand-off in his playing days with junior clubs in Hawick, his work in the knitwear trade took him to Montreal in Canada in 1967, before he returned to Scotland and continued in knitwear in Tillicoultry. He began […]

22 Jun 2024 - Obituary

Obituary: Donald Scott

Donald Macdonald Scott was born on 15 April 1928 in Langholm. He went on to win ten caps for Scotland between 1950 and 1953 out of the Langholm and Watsonians clubs. Five of the caps on the wing, five in the centre. He made his debut on the wing against Ireland in Dublin in February […]

22 Jun 2024 - Obituary

Obituary: Bill McMurtrie

During Bill’s 28-year tenure as rugby correspondent of, at the outset, the Glasgow Herald, he blazed a trail in enhancing coverage of the game and relationships between the rugby press and the SRU. In all, he was with The Herald for 38 years. He reported on Scottish club, district and international rugby, as well as […]

18 Jun 2024 - Obituary

Obituary: Iain Ross

Iain Anderson Ross (Hillhead HSFP) won four caps for Scotland in the 1951 Five Nations Championship. He won his first cap against France at Colombes in Paris on 13 January 1951 – one of nine Scotland debutants that day – and it was a match not without controversy as an unsuccessful conversion attempt from France […]

6 May 2024 - Obituary

Obituary: Eddie Renwick

Renwick, a prop forward, sustained a catastrophic injury while playing for Jed Thistle against Melrose in November 1988. His father Jimmy said today: “Eddie never once complained about his accident. He always wanted to do what he could to help the club.” That help included setting up the club website and social media and promoting […]

25 Apr 2024 - Obituary

Obituary: William (Bill) Smith

Bill grew up in Dunbar and played rugby for the High School and then Dunbar RFC. He worked for a local butcher who also had a shop in Edinburgh. Bill was given the opportunity to work in that shop and it was there that he formed his initial relationship with Forrester. It was also about […]

12 Mar 2024 - Obituary

Obituary: Allan Quinn

The high point of a coaching career that spanned several decades was the Students World Cup in South Africa in 1996. As interim manager, Quinn, working alongside coaches the late Graham Hogg and Ian Barnes, steered Scotland to a 26-25 victory over New Zealand and saw them reach the final only to miss out to […]

15 Feb 2024 - Obituary

Obituary: Gerry Tosh

A former player for the Dundee High School FP club, Gerry spent many years on the club committee, including as President from 2009-15 and from 2017-20. He was a prime mover in the merging of Dundee HSFP and Morgan FP Rugby Clubs to form Dundee Rugby Club and during his term of office, the club […]

11 Jan 2024 - Obituary

Obituary: Eric Grierson

Grierson was one of seven referees from the Hawick club who have taken charge of international rugby matches. A diminutive and charismatic figure, his debut was the Ireland v South Africa match in 1970 and he was in charge subsequently of France v England in 1972, Wales v Ireland in 1973 and England v France […]

11 Oct 2023 - Obituary

Obituary: Jack Dun

Jack was as much a feature of the Greenyards as the Eildon Hills. Watching from one of the domestic game in Scotland’s great vantage points, the Melrose Press Box, Jack was never short of a wise observation, always delivered gently, never with any malice. Last year, he was inducted into the Melrose club’s Sevens Hall […]