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When Roger Uttley retired following the 1980 Grand Slam triumph, Steve Bainbridge, his fellow lock from Gosforth in the north east, was just beginning to catch the attention of the England selectors. Bainbridge made his international debut against France in 1982 in partnership with Maurice Colclough, a match which England won 27-15, one of the their best results of the 1980s. Further success came his way against Wales at Twickenham, when England beat their old foe for the second time in three years, having lost by a very narrow margin in 1981.
Steve consolidated his reputation in 1983 by playing in all four Five Nations matches, though it was a poor campaign and the only point England could muster was in a 13-13 draw with Wales in Cardiff. That year Steve was selected to tour with the British Lions to New Zealand and was drafted in for the third and fourth tests when Welsh lock Bob Norster suffered a back injury. The third test was lost by just 15-8, but by the fourth match the Lions were already 3-0 down in the series and collapsed to 38-6 defeat.
Despite these disappointments, Bainbridge was regarded as one of the successes of the tour and played well in partnership with England teammate Maurice Colclough. Both were able to take revenge on New Zealand in the autumn when England beat an understrength All Blacks side 15-9, with Colclough scoring a crucial try. In 1984 Steve again played in all four matches of the Five Nations, but England endured a poor season. They began the campaign with a second consecutive loss to Scotland, going down 18-6 to the eventual Grand Slam champions.
A 12-9 win over Ireland at Twickenham partially steadied the ship, but then England were overwhelmed 32-18 by France in Paris. The final match against Wales resulted in a 24-15 defeat, and marked the end of the careers of Clive Woodward and Peter Wheeler. Steve then missed the summer tour to South Africa and all of the 1985 Five Nations, his place taken by Wade Dooley. He reappeared on tour in New Zealand in the summer and played in both tests of a series that England lost 2-0. The 1987 season proved to Steve's last, and after a disappointing Five Nations campaign, England endured an equally lacklustre World Cup, with Steve's final cap coming against the USA in the group stages before his place was taken by Nigel Redman. (Jon Collins)
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