The untold story of one of Rugby’s greatest traditions

When Bill McLaren made his last appearance behind the microphone as the legendary BBC commentator, ‘The Voice of Rugby’ wanted it to be for a Scotland-Wales fixture. Part of the reason for that, and the emotional swansong he enjoyed as the capacity Principality Stadium in Cardiff rose as one to acclaim his final commentary on April 6, 2002, was the long-held love affair that has endured between his hometown of Hawick and the Welsh valleys.

There are more than a few boys with Welsh-sounding names in the Borders town, and a few Scots in Wales as a result of the connections, and perhaps a few romances that have blossomed. And it stemmed from rugby.

“I’ve met his wife, I’ve met his daughter, I’ve met his son, his whole family,” says Phil Nichol in the latest in The Spirit of Rugby series, The Fixture. “Fifty years I’ve known this friend, but I only see him once a year.”

Phil is not talking about Santa Claus, but a connection far more real and much deeper. A player, coach, and president of Hawick Harlequins – there isn’t a job he hasn’t fulfilled at the Borders club – Phil can recall in some detail many of the 59 years of matches between the Harlequins and Bargoed RFC. The ‘Quins made a connection in 1966 and it stuck – the two clubs will next year celebrate 60 years of a fixture that alternates between the two countries each year, depending on whether Scotland host Wales or vice versa in the Six Nations Championship.

“You only see each other once a year?” asks the interviewer in the film, to which Phil’s equivalent at Bargoed, Alan Lovell, replies: “That’s enough!”

“Friendship,” he adds with a smile, “means a lot to me, especially a long one like this.”

The Famous Grouse: The Spirit of Whisky

The Famous Grouse whisky brand typifies Scotland’s approach to skill, craft, and an unwavering dedication to be the best of the best. Through The Spirit of Rugby campaign, it seeks to celebrate those common values by shining a light on the corners of the game and the lesser-known characters who make the sport special.

Alan and Phil are typical of the characters that enrich the game far from the bright lights of the professional and Test arenas. The pair reminisce in their latest annual meeting, when Bargoed traveled to Hawick ahead of the Six Nations game at Murrayfield, and watched their two clubs battle it out on Hawick’s famous Mansfield Park. They speak of organizing games by letter – “no mobile phones then” – and how the trip in the early days would take a day and a half, before the advent of motorways.

Still, at 340 miles, it is not an easy trip nowadays, but the players who set off south or north certainly like to arrive in time to ensure a night or two of drinking games. The matches are well contested, with traveling non-rugby-playing companions often roped in and very much becoming playing members when numbers are short. But the game is a small part of this rugby friendship, typical of many across the country that endure because of people like Phil and Alan.

The duo admits their days organizing the fixture may be reducing, but they are confident that the strength of the link between the Scottish and Welsh clubs is such that it will go on for many years beyond its 60th anniversary.

“The age I am now, I want to make sure that we can continue to cement this relationship,” says Alan, conscious of the many friendships that continue to be formed with every passing game and weekend of social gathering.

McLaren often spoke of his love for Welsh rugby, but he would always add a rider that it was the Welsh people, the shared love of rugby, and the friendships that shaped it. Phil feels similarly to McLaren and his friend from Bargoed and is committed to ensuring that the relationships don’t weaken any time soon.

“As long as the Quins have got a team, we will always play against Bargoed at rugby football,” he says with a mix of fondness and determination, summing up the relationship rugby has brought out in this age-old Celtic connection.

The Spirit of Rugby Film

Through The Spirit of Rugby campaign, The Famous Grouse is shining a light on the soul of grassroots rugby and the characters that make the sport so special.