(Part 2) 1970 - 1972.
The 1970 season began with a match against Ireland at Twickenham, the game for which Bob is perhaps most remembered. Indeed, after recalled Irish star Tony O'Reilly had grabbed the headlines by turning up at HQ in a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, Bob made his mark on the game itself with two of the greatest drop goals Twickenham has ever scene. He scored the first from just inside the Irish half near touch and then a few minutes later repeated the trick from virtually the same spot, though this time the ball sailed higher than the stands. Those six points broke Irish resolve, and in his chronicle of rugby's most famous shrine, author Wallace Reyburn would recall: "Nobody whoever saw the brace of Hiller drop kicks will ever forget them". After that 9-3 victory, Bob was part of the side that lost to both Wales and Scotland, but his place in rugby folklore was assured.
The campaign ended in a record 35-13 defeat by France in Paris, but Bob was spared that humiliation, his place taken by Tony Jorden. It would be fair to say that the 1971 season was not one of England's best, and at times it seemed that Hiller was the only player keeping the ship afloat. Indeed, his side lost five of their six matches that year and scored only five tries, three of them courtesy of Bob. Notable highlights were his reaching a century of points for England in a 14-14 draw against France, an appropriate achievement in what was the RFU's Centenary year. He also scored all 11 of England's points in a special match against a Presidents XV, a match England lost 27-11.
After such a poor season, Bob was probably relieved to join the British Lions on tour in New Zealand where he was affectionately known as "Boss" amongst his teammates. However, due to Barry John's form with the boot and JPR Williams physical presence at fullback, Hiller was confined to the reserve side for the second consecutive tour, though once again he topped 100 points, reaching his ton in a match against the Bay of Plenty. Journalist Clem Thomas described Hiller's contribution as thus: "Bob was one of those essential men who led the midweek team and helped to keep them motivated; tours without a leader of the dirt trackers usually struck problems in the provincial games."
Hiller also showed his sense of humour in the face of provocation, illustrated on one occasion when someone in the crowd took objection to his meticulous approach to building a mound for a kick, shouting "Do you want a shovel Hiller?". Legend has it that Bob replied "Give me your mouth, that's big enough!", duly scored the penalty and then offered the fan what equestrian followers would term a "Harvey Smith". After the Lions tour, Bob played in one more Five Nations campaign, his final appearance coming in a game against Ireland at Twickenham. (Jon Collins)
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