Obituary: Ian McCrae

Scottish Rugby is saddened to learn of the death of former Scotland and Gordonians scrum-half Ian McCrae who passed away on Wednesday. He was 84.

Ian George McCrae was a supremely talented all-round sportsman, born on 19 May 1941 in Aberdeen.

“He was a good footballer. He had a trial with Arbroath and Aberdeen wanted to sign him in his teens and the story goes that he said he would sign, as long as he was given time off every Saturday to play rugby for Gordonians!” recalled former Gordonians hooker Alan McLean.

McCrae was also a prolific opening batsman for the Stoneywood cricket club in Aberdeen and was a runaway winner of an Aberdeen version of the popular BBC TV programme of the 1970s, Superstars, leaving footballers from Pittodrie in his slipstream.

Rugby was, unquestionably, his first love and he played for Gordonians over four decades, making his first XV debut in 1959.

He was still playing for the club when they were in Scotland’s top division in the early 1980s.

“When I joined the club in 1980, it was such a privilege to play alongside him,” said Alan McLean.

“He was as fit as a fiddle, and he played on in the seconds and thirds beyond 1984 and that was a tribute to his durability and love of the game.”

He played rugby until a few weeks before his 50th birthday and once he hung up his boots, he took up hillwalking, completing all the Munros and Corbetts.

McCrae first played in a Scotland trial in the 1963-64 season and was flown down from Aberdeen as an 11^th hour unused reserve for the 1965 Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham.

He represented the North of Scotland in matches against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia and featured in eight games for the Barbarians, for whom he played between 1965 and 1974.

One of his finest hours was at Mansfield Park, Hawick in April 1965 when he played a pivotal role as Scottish Districts defeated the touring Springboks by 16-8.

Indeed, Ian’s District career spanned some 20 years from 1959, a feat which may be unique and unlikely to be matched in today’s game.

“McCrae was a real warrior of a scrum-half,” noted John Downie in his match report for the Glasgow Herald, “breaking tackles by opponents of any size and getting his passes away from impossible situations.”

McCrae won his first cap against England at Twickenham in 1967 and played against Ireland away the following year.

In 1969, he cemented his place in rugby folklore becoming the first replacement in the international game (certainly in the Five Nations Championship) when he came on for the injured Gordon Connell at Stade Colombes in Paris.

Later in the match, he played a decisive role in Scotland’s winning try, pouncing on a loose ball in the French 22 and teeing up Jim Telfer who crashed over in the corner.

Pictured: The Scotland tram that took on France in 1972. Ian MacRae is at the very front, right-hand side. 

That try – in grainy black and white – was faithfully replayed every two years that Scotland headed to Paris, until the famous “Toony flip” score catapulted Scotland to victory in 1995.

McCrae was retained for the next match against Wales – something of a rarity as his six Scotland caps were over six seasons.

His first cap at Murrayfield was a 20-9 victory over France in 1972 and his final international appearance was a narrow home loss to New Zealand later that year.

McCrae worked for the renowned Aberdeen road haulage firm, Charles Alexander, as an insurance loss adjuster and remained a source of inspiration to the Gordonians club and the sporting community in Aberdeen long after his playing retirement.

Scottish Rugby extends its sincere condolences to Ian McCrae’s family and many friends. His funeral details have now been confirmed and listed below:

Date – Thursday 22 January 2026

Time – 2:00pm

Where – Devana Parish Church, 539A Holburn Street, Aberdeen, AB10 7LH (not to be confused with one on Fonthill Road)

Teas thereafter at the Chester Hotel, 55-63 Queen’s Rd, Aberdeen AB15 4YP, to which all friends respectfully invited.

Family flowers only please.