Themanwhocouldbe hammer o’ the Scots wanted to be Deans
England coach, Eddie Jones, is currently hard at work, plotting the downfall of Scotland when the two teams meet at Twickenham on Saturday.
But he admits that when he was young, far from wanting to beat the Scots, he wanted to be one of them.
Jones, who turned 61 yesterday, was a hooker during his playing days, and turned out for leading Sydney club side, Randwick, as well as for New South Wales.
Yet instead of looking up to local role models, he had his imagination captured by the Scotland side who would go on to win the Grand Slam in 1984.
“During the period I was growing up, Scotland had a really good side,” Jones recalls.
“They had a fantastic hooker, Colin Deans (right), who I always wanted to be – fast, aggressive. And I actually met him recently at Northampton, where he now lives.
“And they had an outstanding back row – John Jeffrey, Finlay Calder – really tough.
“And they played that fast rucking game, as opposed to England, who played historically more of a stand-up game.
“So you had this fast, aggressive team against a more stand-up team – it was a good contrast in the styles of rugby.”
These days, England under Jones are far from the plodding dinosaurs that they were back then.
In fact, on their day they can be the most dynamic team in the world.
They had lost their way a bit when he took over as head coach back in 2016, but he got them back on track immediately, with their first game under new management coming against Scotland at Murrayfield.
The 15-9 win that day is a fond memory for Jones, even if he and his players did not get the friendliest of welcomes.
“I can remember arriving at the ground, and the abuse we received set a great scene for the game,” he said.
“The team and I didn’t know each other that well. I think we had 10 days together, and we had to find a way to win that game.
“It’s a great game, England-scotland, because it means so much to everyone.
“I remember a couple of years ago, coming back from a Scotland game and getting accosted by a few Scottish supporters, which was a bit of fun!”
Saturday’s match will be behind closed doors, due to the pandemic, so Jones was asked whether the lack of a crowd would make the occasion any less passionate and tribal.
“The answer is, I don’t know,” he admitted.
“What I do know is that the players will be 100% committed, and it will mean as much for the English players as it will for the Scottish players, whether there’s 80,000 people there or not.
“They see it as an important game, we see it as an important game, and it will be intense and it will be tough.”