Scotland's Billy Steele is pictured above playing rugby for the Combined
Services.
He was in the R.A.F. at the time. The date is not correct.
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.
Career Record: Played 23: Won 10, Lost 13
Test Points: 22
Tries: 6.
1969 v England (Twickenham) L 8-3 (FN)
1971 v France (Paris) L 13-8 (FN)
1971 v Wales (Murrayfield) L 19-18 (FN)
1971 v Ireland (Murrayfield) L 17-5 (FN)
1971 v England (Twickenham) W 16-15 (FN)
1971 v England (Murrayfield) W 26-6 (Centenary game)**
1972 v France (Murrayfield) W 20-9 (FN)
1972 v Wales (Cardiff) L 35-12 (FN)
1972 v England (Murrayfield) W 23-9 (FN)
1972 v New Zealand (Murrayfield) L 14-9
1973 v France (Paris) L 16-13 (FN)
1973 v Wales (Murrayfield) W 10-9 (FN)
1973 v Ireland (Murrayfield) W 19-14 (FN)
1973 v England (Twickenham) L 20-13 (FN)
1975 v France (Paris) L 10-9 (FN)
1975 v Ireland (Murrayfield) W 20-13 (FN)
1975 v Wales (Murrayfield) W 12-10 (FN)
1975 v England (Twickenham) L 7-6 (FN)
1975 v New Zealand (R) (Auckland) L 24-0
1976 v Wales (Cardiff) L 28-6 (FN)
1976 v England (Murrayfield) W 22-12 (FN)
1976 v Ireland (Dublin) W 15-6 (FN)
1977 v England (Twickenham) L 26-6 (FN)
Billy Steele was a hero of 1971’s unforgettabledouble two victories over England in a week. **
“It was 26-6, five tries to none,” said Steele to the Scotsman newspaper in a interview in 2018,
who ran in the last of them from his station on the wing. “That wasn’t any kind of friendly – there
was no such thing. England picked the wrong team – too many city slickers. We’d just beaten them,
rather liked the feeling and were desperate to do it again.” However the day was scarred by
the death of his mother Jean who collapsed in the stands watching the victory, with Billy's sister Violet.
She died the next day of a stoke in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmanry. Billy was escored by
the police from the game to the Infirmary.