William Steele (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
William Charles Common Steele (born 18 April 1947) also known as Billy Steele, is a former Scotland
international rugby union player.
The first club he played for was Langholm RFC
, in his hometown of Langholm
in south west Scotland.
He represented the British and Irish Lions
on the 1974 tour to South Africa
and at the time played club rugby for Bedford F.C.
His "day job" was in the RAF
.
As Richard Bath says:
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
international rugby union player.
The first club he played for was Langholm RFC
Langholm RFC
Langholm Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team founded in 1871. They play their home games at Milntown, Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway....
, in his hometown of Langholm
Langholm
Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the River Esk and the A7 road.- History:...
in south west Scotland.
He represented the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
on the 1974 tour to South Africa
1974 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1974 the British Lions toured South Africa, with matches in South West Africa and Rhodesia . The tour was a great success, the Lions winning 21 of their 22 matches and drawing the other. After winning the first three test matches, the Lions drew the final test to preserve their unbeaten record...
and at the time played club rugby for Bedford F.C.
Bedford Blues
Bedford Blues is a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a league football club, and one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The...
His "day job" was in the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
As Richard Bath says:
- "Never the quickest of wingers, Steele's gritty defensive qualities and combative nature combined perfectly with some of the more attacking Scottish internationals of his day, particularly Andy IrvineAndy Irvine (rugby player)Andrew Robertson "Andy" Irvine MBE is a former President of the Scottish Rugby Union , and a former Scottish international rugby player. He earned fifty one Scottish caps, and scored over 250 points for .-Background:...
and David SheddenDavid SheddenDavid Shedden was a Scottish rugby union player. He played for Scotland 18 times between 1972 and 1978.Shedden played for the West of Scotland F.C., and Garnock Rugby ClubRichard Bath writes of him that:-References:...
."