Bill McLaren Exhibition

In Scotland this time and exploring the Bill McLaren Exhibition at the Hawick Museum:

Journey through Rugby’s Iconic Voice

Who does not remember his commentary? For me it was very special to be with my Hilversum Sevens team in Jedburgh and to get interviewed by this iconic commentator. He sensed I was nervous about it and calmed me down a bit. So, when I heard about the Bill McLaren Exhibition at the Hawick Museum I obviously wanted to visit.

The exhibition was nicely set-up, with memorabilia and poster with his most famous quotes. Mine are: “The stands will tell you!”, “They play to the whistle in The Borders” when John Jeffreys smashed that full-back who called the mark and before the ref had time to whistle. I just read the “World According to Doddie” where he claimed never to have become popular without that mad giraffe remark.

I liked how they tried to recreate McLaren’s study. A huge collection of books, newspapers and VHS tapes. It shows how serious he was about preparing for each match, crafting this unique match sheet. There are some in the exhibition and I have seen others in clubs and personal collections. The museum had empty sheets for visitors to make their own.

Scotland’s famous Calcutta Cup win was special for me because it was one of my Level 3 course assignments and I remember it very well. So needed little encouragement to sit in the makeshift commentary box and do my own version of the Tony Stanger try!

Very special exhibition, nicely pieced together and it was wonderful to see it all.

Related Links

• It is a pity the exhibition is only temporary, it will be in the Hawick Museum till autumn 2024, be quick!
• Wikipedia on Bill McLaren;
• Bill McLaren’s ‘Best Bits’ – Highlights from the Voice of Rugby on Youtube;

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(Image from Hawick Museum website)

The post Bill McLaren Exhibition first appeared on Martin's Rugby Coaching Blog.