Bill Dickinson
Encyclopedia
Bill Dickinson is a former rugby union
player who was appointed the first official national coach of in 1971. Richard Bath points out that Dickinson's appointment made an "immediate impact" in performance, leading to a one point loss (18-17) to a "rampant side" and wins against and others. Allan Massie
describes his contribution to Scottish rugby as "immense".
committee were not in favour of a national coach, so he was named "adviser to the captain" rather than "coach".(McLaren, p181)
"Bill had to operate in somewhat difficult circumstances. But he got on with it and earned the players' respect by his craft, wide tactical knowledge, unfettered enthusiasm and far-sightedness. Scotland gained a new respect under his guidance. In fact, his tactical astuteness helped engineer one of the most successful periods in Scottish rugby history, 1971-77... Bill was a genuine hard man who certainly put fire into Scottish bellies. He created one of the most formidable Scottish packs of all time comprising Ian McLauchlan
, Quintin Dunlop or Bobby Clark, Sandy Carmichael
, Alastair McHarg
, Gordon Brown, Nairn McEwan
, Peter Brown and Rodger Arneil
. He was a scrummaging expert who brought a new meaning to that phase of play and influenced the thinking in other countries."
Being the amateur era, Dickinson was also unpaid for his work.
He was also coach of Jordanhill, where he worked with Ian McLauchlan
, and Bill McLaren
considered that McLauchlan's success was partly down to Dickinson:
His teams were less successful in away games, and they did not win any games at Twickenham
between 1971 and 1983, or any away games against .
McLaren
p180
McLaren says that he considered Bill Dickinson "another of rugby's unusual characters for whom I have a very high respect.", and was horrified to learn that his boast of scoring a try for Hillhead High School FP against Hawick was real.
He was fired by the SRU in 1977, and succeeded by Nairn McEwan
, a surprise choice and not a statistically successful one.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who was appointed the first official national coach of in 1971. Richard Bath points out that Dickinson's appointment made an "immediate impact" in performance, leading to a one point loss (18-17) to a "rampant side" and wins against and others. Allan Massie
Allan Massie
Allan Massie is a well-known Scottish journalist, sports writer and novelist.-Early life:Born in 1938 in Singapore, where his father was a rubber planter for Sime Darby, Massie spent his childhood in Aberdeenshire...
describes his contribution to Scottish rugby as "immense".
Coaching career
Many of the SRUScottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
committee were not in favour of a national coach, so he was named "adviser to the captain" rather than "coach".(McLaren, p181)
"Bill had to operate in somewhat difficult circumstances. But he got on with it and earned the players' respect by his craft, wide tactical knowledge, unfettered enthusiasm and far-sightedness. Scotland gained a new respect under his guidance. In fact, his tactical astuteness helped engineer one of the most successful periods in Scottish rugby history, 1971-77... Bill was a genuine hard man who certainly put fire into Scottish bellies. He created one of the most formidable Scottish packs of all time comprising Ian McLauchlan
Ian McLauchlan
John "Ian" McLauchlan is a former Scottish John "Ian" McLauchlan is a former [[Scotland|Scottish]] John "Ian" McLauchlan is a former [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[rugby union] playerer...
, Quintin Dunlop or Bobby Clark, Sandy Carmichael
Sandy Carmichael
Alexander Bennett Carmichael was a tighthead prop forward who played for West of Scotland R.F.C. and earned 50 caps in the Scotland national rugby union team from 1967 to 1978, which was a record for a Scottish forward at the time...
, Alastair McHarg
Alastair McHarg
Alastair McHarg was a lock for the Scotland national rugby union team, 1968-79. He won 44 caps for Scotland...
, Gordon Brown, Nairn McEwan
Nairn McEwan
Nairn Alexander MacEwan was a Scottish international rugby player and coach. He played at flanker, and was capped twenty times for Scotland between 1971–75, including a try in the match against in 1972....
, Peter Brown and Rodger Arneil
Rodger Arneil
Rodger Arniel is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He was played on two British and Irish Lions tours - to South Africa in 1968 and New Zealand in 1971, the second tour as a replacement...
. He was a scrummaging expert who brought a new meaning to that phase of play and influenced the thinking in other countries."
Being the amateur era, Dickinson was also unpaid for his work.
- "For a few years Dickinson's teams were unbeatable at MurrayfieldMurrayfield StadiumMurrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
where at one point they won nine championship victories in succession. Their success and the advent of Andy Irvine, gave the game a popularity it had not seen before. When Wales came north in 1975, 104,000 people crammed into Murrayfield and it is estimated that almost 20,000 more were turned away. Thereafter all major internationals had to be all-ticket."
He was also coach of Jordanhill, where he worked with Ian McLauchlan
Ian McLauchlan
John "Ian" McLauchlan is a former Scottish John "Ian" McLauchlan is a former [[Scotland|Scottish]] John "Ian" McLauchlan is a former [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[rugby union] playerer...
, and Bill McLaren
Bill McLaren
William Pollock "Bill" McLaren CBE was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. Until his retirement in 2002, he was known as 'the voice of rugby'...
considered that McLauchlan's success was partly down to Dickinson:
- "he had a sage and uncompromising guide in... Bill Dickinson. McLauchlan wasn't taken seriously when he first hit the big time. For one thing he had a roly-poly build and weighed in at just over 13 stones. I have to admit when I first saw him I thought he was just too small for the international game... I doubted that a player of McLauchlan's physique could hold his own with such giants. Hold his own? He gave them all a hell of a time! He posed all kinds of different problems for them because of his shape but also because of his strength which, along with his weight, was being boosted by special training supervised by the crafty Dickinson."
His teams were less successful in away games, and they did not win any games at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
between 1971 and 1983, or any away games against .
McLaren
p180
McLaren says that he considered Bill Dickinson "another of rugby's unusual characters for whom I have a very high respect.", and was horrified to learn that his boast of scoring a try for Hillhead High School FP against Hawick was real.
He was fired by the SRU in 1977, and succeeded by Nairn McEwan
Nairn McEwan
Nairn Alexander MacEwan was a Scottish international rugby player and coach. He played at flanker, and was capped twenty times for Scotland between 1971–75, including a try in the match against in 1972....
, a surprise choice and not a statistically successful one.