He was one of the greatest rugby players who ever pulled on the blue jersey of Scotland.
But the prince of stand-offs, John Rutherford, admits it will be great if people aren’t talking about his contribution to one of his country’s most famous victories after Saturday’s Six Nations Championship clash.
Rutherford was among the serried line-up who bewitched and bewildered their English rivals during the 22-12 win in the Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham in 1983.
Yet the man who gained 42 caps and starred with the British and Irish Lions said even he couldn’t quite believe the Scots haven’t claimed another success against the Auld Enemy on their own patch in 34 years.
However, the Borderer is relishing the prospect of this weekend’s joust between the sides. For starters, he thinks his compatriots have a terrific chance of securing their first Triple Crown since 1990.
Moreover, he reckons that England, despite being in the midst of a 17-game winning streak, are under a lot of pressure, following a string of mediocre displays in the current championship.
So, as he told the Press and Journal, there might never be a better time for Vern Cotter’s personnel to roar out of the starting blocks and create their own piece of history.
Rutherford said: “This is the best chance they have had in a very long time and, heaven knows, we’ve waited long enough. I, for one, would be smiling if we never had to watch wee Roy [Laidlaw’s] try from 1983. And so would he!
“We were talking about it the other day and we both share the view that the Scots have definitely played better than England throughout the tournament. They deservedly beat Ireland and Wales and they were very close against France in Paris, so I’m excited about these boys.
“I don’t think anybody should get carried away. For all that the English have been below their best – and they really toiled against Italy a couple of weeks ago – they know how to win and go out and put the squeeze on opponents. You can’t argue with what they have achieved: you don’t go 17 on the bounce without being formidable.
“But there is something special about this Scottish line-up. They play thrilling rugby, they have strength in depth in most positions, and you have somebody like Stuart Hogg in the form of their lives. I don’t believe they will walk out at Twickenham with any fear. And that is key.
“Because, when we beat them in 1983, we didn’t worry about them, but concentrated on our own strengths. And we didn’t listen to the crowd – we had other things on our minds and refused to be intimidated.
“I absolutely believe we can win on Saturday and I don’t care about all the hype. I’m just looking at how the teams match up and I honestly believe we have the edge in most departments.
“The only worry I have is that the English scrum will try to steamroller us with their big, heavy pack and [coach Eddie] Jones will have the attitude that this isn’t a contest for expansive moves or champagne rugby.
“He’s right. All that matters is the result. I’d happily take a 3-0 win. Good grief, I would take 1-0.”
At his peak, Rutherford was the shining star in the Scotland firmament, together with his long-term confrere, Laidlaw. Even now, at 61, he looks sufficiently trim that one is tempted to ask him to pull on his rugby boots again.
That’s impossible, of course, but the Selkirk luminary still oozes passion for rugby and he can see parallels between the Classes of ‘83 and ‘17.
As he added: “Our success all those years ago was the start of something big for Scotland. Eight of us were chosen to go on the Lions tour to New Zealand and that showed us we had no reason to feel inferior to any of the other home nations. It was the opposite, in some cases.
“Then, just 12 months later, Scotland won the Grand Slam.
“I can see something similar happening with Vern’s side. I think that seven or eight of them will be picked for the Lions and they are going to New Zealand as well.
“I don’t allow myself to get carried away. Whenever we travel to London, the fact is England will start as favourites. It’s a numbers game and we are doing incredibly well, given we only have two professional sides.
“Personally, I would like to change that in the future and I think we would benefit from the creation of a third team. But that is an argument for another day…!”
It was time for one final query. Where will the peerless Rutherford be as the Scots begin their quest for glory?
He answered immediately. “I’ll be in the clubhouse at Howe of Fife with the rest of the Selkirk lads and I’ll be living every minute of it.
“At the end of the day, it’s just a game. But it means a helluva lot to people, so I hope we are talking about the 2017 heroes on Saturday night! I have the feeling we could be.”
