Obituary: Bill Relph
20 Jan 2023Scottish Rugby is saddened to learn of the death of former Scotland hooker Bill Relph. He was 94.
William Keith Linford Relph won four caps for Scotland throughout the 1955 Five Nations Championship.
He made his debut against France away but his first international appearance at Murrayfield was a landmark occasion.
The 14-8 victory over Wales on 5 February 1955, marked Scotland’s first win after a sequence of 17 successive defeats. And he followed that up three weeks later by sharing in the national team’s 12-3 triumph against Ireland.
Educated at Daniel Stewart’s College in Edinburgh, Relph played in the school first XV from 1945-47, being pack leader in both seasons.
He made his first XV debut for Stewart’s FP in 1951. In 1953, and, again, the following year, he represented Edinburgh against Northumberland , while his breakthrough international season also saw him hook for the capital in inter-district matches against the South and Glasgow, as well as play in three Murrayfield trials.
His final Scotland cap was in a narrow 6-9 loss against England at Twickenham.
Thereafter he continued to play in representative games and he captained his club to the Scottish championship in the 1957-58 season.
Bill Relph was also a gifted sevens player and was a pivotal figure in the Stewart’s FP team who won the Melrose Sevens in 1956.
Scottish Rugby extends its sincere condolences to Bill Relph’s family and friends.
