Subliminally McLaren was also a teacher of fair play and via his commentary you leant to acknowledge that teams other than the All Blacks could actually play our national game.

Article By: Bevan Sanson

Another part of my childhood recently left, and I’m sad because of it.

Bill McLaren CBE, OBE, MBE and in my opinion GB (good bugger) has gone to that great commentary booth in the sky after 86 years of a life well lived.

Early morning rugby broadcasts from Britain were a big deal when I was a kid.

Back then the All Blacks didn’t venture north on an annual basis as they do now.

Test rugby, especially viewed at 3am from the other side of the world, was something special.

What made it even more special was when McLaren was commentating.

It was something different. No disrespect to the fine New Zealand commentators of the past, and indeed today, but when the commentary contained a local accent you really felt as if you were there at Murrayfield, Cardiff Arms Park or any of the great rugby grounds of Britain.

Perhaps it’s just childhood memories. But back then when the scratchy pictures came via satellite through the Bell Coloursonic 3 TV in the corner of our lounge, the wonderful Scottish tones of McLaren enhanced the game to the point that you almost dropped your Milo with excitement.

In hindsight the games themselves were not always exciting. Watching repeats years later it’s fair to say that some of the fixtures were dross. But McLaren’s commentary, combined with the rarity of the occasion, made them exciting.

He also did something the IRB seem unable to do – he made the game easy to understand.

Subliminally McLaren was also a teacher of fair play and via his commentary you leant to acknowledge that teams other than the All Blacks could actually play our national game.

He loved good play regardless of who was performing the act. Even if it was against Scotland.

In reading some of the many obituaries of the great man on the internet, the most, but not overused word to describe McLaren is “impartial”.

“Excitement without bias” is probably the best description of his style.

Scotland could be winning, or being beaten by that worst of foes, England, and McLarens tone was the same no matter what the scenario.

Here was a guy who simply loved the game.

His research prior to games was legendary. The beautiful by-product were the facts and wonderful pieces of trivia thrown in to make the most colourful and educational commentary.

I remember a game he called and in one instance the Scottish winger Iwan Tukalo, was called upon to clear the ball from the base of a ruck.

“And Tukalo goes in and plays halfback just like he did for the Scottish Schools,” was how McLaren described the incident.

A minor event in the context of the game, but he made it special by the added information he provided.

His accent was one thing, but his descriptive language was just lovely.

“Jumping like a Border salmon in a river.”

“It was if he kicked about three pounds of haggis because it barely came off the ground.”

“He hit it like a fluffed number 4 wood.”

The one I always remember was in 1988 when Welsh flyhalf Jonathan Davies kicked a dropped goal against Scotland at the Arms Park. It was a bit of a wobbly kick that others would describe as lucky to have gone over. McLaren, as only he could, said of the kick; “It was a little bit inebriated, but it got there”

Whilst I won’t get as intoxicated as the ball Davies kicked that day in ’88, a wee dram of some of Scotland’s finest would be fitting about now.

About 18 months ago I was in Scotland at the Golden Oldies Rugby Festival and an incurable rugby tragic by the name of Dave McDonald kindly gave me a bottle of Linlithgow Lowland Malt Whisky.

I couldn’t think of a more appropriate drop to toast a great man of Hawick, the Borders, of Scotland and of rugby.

May the best you've ever seen
Be the worst you'll ever see;
May a moose ne'er leave yer girnal
Wi' a teardrop in his e'e.
May ye aye keep hale and hearty
Till ye're auld enough tae dee,
May ye aye be just as happy
As I wish ye aye tae be.

Cheers Bill