It certainly was a good year for Oxford’s Grand Slam winning duo

ACCORDING to a recent survey, 1957 was the ‘best and happiest year’ in history to live in Britain. I have no idea if this is remotely true and how it was calculated but I thought I would check on the feel-good factor for rugby that year. Well 1957 was certainly a cracker for England as Eric Evans’ team recorded a Grand Slam, their first since 1928.

In fact 1957 was the year that the achievement of winning all four games was first described as a Grand Slam with the phrase being coined by a bridgeplaying sub on The Times.

Also enjoying a fine year were the students of St Luke’s College who beat London Welsh to win the Middlesex 7s having already provided the nucleus of the Devon team that caused a massive upset by beating favourites Yorkshire in the County Championship final.

It was an outstanding year also for the Barbarians who recorded an all-time record 40-0 win over a strong Cardiff side and then swanned off on a memorable first ever overseas tour, to Canada where they won all six matches at a canter.

But most of all it was an annus mirablis for a vintage Oxford University side containing Peter Robins, John Currie, Malcolm Phillips, renowned speedster JRC Young and soon to be capped Scotland lock Malcolm Swan.

Oxford recorded a remarkable win over the Wallabies and then defeated a star studded Cambridge side.

Curry and Robbins featured in both and England’s Grand Slam earlier in the year.