(Part 1) 1986 -1989.
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Edinburgh prop David Sole has entered Scottish rugby folklore as one of his country's best captains and the man who wrested the Grand Slam from England in 1990. Aside from his habitual headband, the trademarks of Sole's game were his superb handling ability and tenacity in the loose. Smaller than average for a prop, David was sometimes criticised for his scrummaging, though he would counter this by saying that he never conceded a single pushover try in his career. Sole's international debut came in the 1986 season in an 18-17 win over France, though a narrow loss to Wales that year meant that Scotland had to be content with sharing first place in the Championship. In the 1987 season Scotland performed creditably by winning two games out of four, but then endured a mixed World Cup. Indeed, during the group stages the Scots managed a 20-20 draw with Grand Slam champions France, but their inability to put more points past minnows Zimbabwe and Romania meant that they were handed the hardest possible quarter-final against New Zealand. The match was lost 30-3, but this was no real reflection on Scotland, for the All Blacks were a class above everyone during the '87 tournament and won all of their matches comfortably. The following year Scotland managed just one win in the Championship, but the '89 season gave notice of things to come. Indeed, Scotland finished joint second with England, and held their old foes to a frustrating draw at Twickenham thanks partly to John Jeffrey's first half try. In 1989 David experienced one of the highlights of his career when he featured in the British Lions 2-1 series win over Australia. The front row of David, Brian Moore and Dai Young remained unbroken throughout the series and David's handling skills were ideally suited to the hard, fast grounds down under. (Jon Collins).
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David Sole is seen above playing for Scotland on 16th. Feburary 1991.
(Part 2) 1990-1992.
| If 1989 was memorable for David Sole, then 1990 was perfect. The Five Nations series saw both England and Scotland win all of their first three games to set up a Grand Slam Decider at Murrayfield. England had played exciting attacking rugby in their matches, whereas the Scots had laboured in theirs, making most neutrals of the opinion that it would be a handsome win for the men in white. However, in a move that has become legend, David led the Scots onto the pitch in a defiant "slow march" to show they were not about to be rolled over by their English overlords. As the history books will show, the result was a 13-7 victory for Scotland thanks to Craig Chalmers' accurate spot kicking and a superb try by Tony Stanger. Throughout the game David organised his men most effectively and the Scottish defence frequently snuffed out English attacks, as well as nullifying their opponents' advantage in the lineout. By winning the game, Scotland achieved the remarkable feat of pocketing the Calcutta Cup, the Triple Crown, the Championship and the Grand Slam, all on the same day! It was the Scot's second Grand Slam in six years - a phenomenal achievement for a country with relatively limited resources. David then captained his side to New Zealand, and despite losing the test series 2-0, the Scots played with all their customary guts and determination and emerged with great credit. The remaining two years of David's test career were not as successful. England vented their revenge in the 1991 Five Nations and the World Cup semi-final, and Scotland's technical limitations were cruelly exposed by a rampant Australia in the summer of 1992. The second test defeat in Brisbane was David's 44th and last game for Scotland. (Jon Collins) |