Carling and Grand Slam boys of ’92
THESE days Will Carling can be found at England training camps where he acts as a leadership mentor, and elsewhere as a corporate-events manager at big sporting occasions.
Thirty years ago, in 1992, he was the dashing face of English rugby, as a 26-year-old captain and centre with the best team in Europe.
In 1991, Carling and crew had won England’s first Five Nations Grand Slam since Bill Beaumont’s team did the honours in 1980.
They had also reached the World
Cup Final where they were beaten 12-6 by Australia.
In 1992 they were to win a second successive Slam to emulate the Red Rose teams of 1913 and 1914.
To put Carling’s team’s performance in perspective, the great Welsh team of Gareth Edwards and JPR Williams in the 1970s never managed successive Slams – and neither did Martin Johnson’s world champion England team of the early 2000s.
Like this season, England began their 1992 campaign with a trip to Murrayfield, memories of the 1990 ambush, when Scotland won the Grand Slam, still fresh. Carling had been captain that day too and he had survivors of that game such as Jerry Guscott, Rob Andrew, Brian Moore and Wade Dooley with him.
This time Scotland were beaten 25-7 with tries from Dewi Morris and Rory Underwood, a drop goal from Guscott and 14 points from Jon Webb’s boot.
Ireland were demolished 38-9 at Twickenham with Webb claiming 22 points, including two tries, before they moved on to Paris for ‘Le Crunch’.
England and France had indulged in punch-ups before, but this time Carling’s men kept their heads, and their fists under wraps, as the hosts had prop Gregoire Lascube and hooker Vincent Moscato sent off. Carling’s side won 31-13. The Slam was on.
Carling scored early in the Twickenham clash with Wales and England romped home 24-0 with Dooley and Mickey Skinner also going over.