A crowd of 60,000 turned up at Murrayfield on February 2nd 1963 to witness what was probably the biggest bore in rugby history as Wales scrum half and Captain Clive Rowlands kicked Scotland and the ball off the park. Yet, in it’s way it was an historic and memorable match brought Wales a first win at Murrayfield since 1953 and so deservedly gains it tag of ‘classic’.
Curiously for a match dubbed ‘boring’, it featured 111 lineouts, Wales centre Brian Davies, who was dropped for the next match, refering to the ball said: “I touched it twice and could hardly feel my hands in the cold.”
Wales were not expected to win and the wily Rowlands, who skippered Wales in every match he appeared in, ignored David Watkins and the other backs to beat Scotland at their own game.
Brian Price (Newport) and Brian Thomas (Neath) dominated the lineouts and Norman Gale (Llanelli) held the scrums. It was an odd match for the three new caps; Bill Morris, the Pontypool wing; Ron Evans, the Bridgend policeman at centre and Graham Jones, the blind-side wing forward from Ebbw Vale.
Full back Grahame Hodgson opened the scoring with a penalty from 30 yards after 15 minutes of play and near the end it was ‘Top Cat’ Rowlands who dropped an amazing goal after receiving near the touchline from another great lineout leap by Price.
“It was not an attractive match and I felt sorry for the backs,” said Rowlands afterwards. “But we were out to win and the pack did a great job.”
