Rugby Special was the main rugby union

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...

 programme on the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 in the UK. The show ran from 1966 and past presenters included David Vine

David Vine

David Martin Vine was a British television sports presenter. He presented a wide variety of shows from the 1960s onwards.-Early life:...

, Keith Macklin

Keith Macklin

Keith Macklin was a British journalist and author.His works include:*The Rugby League Game *The History of Rugby League ISBN 0091207800*The Story of Rugby League ISBN 0091584116-References:...

, Cliff Morgan

Cliff Morgan

Cliff Morgan is a former Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958.-Rugby career:...

, Chris Rea, Nigel Starmer-Smith

Nigel Starmer-Smith

Nigel Starmer-Smith is a former international rugby union player, who is now a respected British rugby journalist and commentator.-Playing career:...

, Bill Beaumont

Bill Beaumont

William "Bill" Blackledge Beaumont CBE was captain of the England rugby union team at a time when they struggled to win games. His greatest moment as captain was the unexpected 1980 Grand Slam. He played as a lock...

 and John Inverdale

John Inverdale

John Inverdale , is an English radio and television broadcaster who works for the BBC, mainly covering sporting events.-Biography:...

. The theme tune, "Holy Mackerel", was composed by The Shadows

The Shadows

The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...

' drummer, Brian Bennett. The programme discontinued in 2005, in that year it was a highlights programme of Autumn internationals and Six Nations

Six Nations Championship

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....

 with studio guests and an audience of fans from the Six Nations

Six Nations Championship

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....

.