I'm regretfully late in posting this, but all the same, it's worth it. Bill McLaren, the eponymous "Voice of Rugby", and one of my personal heroes, died this week aged 86. What a pleasure it was to have ever had the luck to hear the great man's joyous commentary on the game of rugby live and swaddled in the fever of the moment of a match being transmitted as it happened rather than distilled over the years on You Tube.
Yet, the magic of the man and his true passion for the game as one of the last great commentators shine through on any recording. (not, as we get today, ex players who, although rich in tactical nous and expert analysis, may, in reality, lack any sort of art or craft in the theatre of commentating)
What struck most of all, even when his beloved Scotland were playing, was his sense of sporting fairness in commentary, and the unavoidable air of gentlemanliness which he exuded. He was never afraid to call it as he saw it, but very rarely, if ever criticised a player's character, choosing instead to immortalise them with a unique turn of phrase. In a time long before professionalism, he made legends out of mere sportsmen.
You can read his obituary in The Guardian here, and watch below for a reminder of the art, skill and warmth of the great man who loved rugby so much.
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