Bill Beaumont's First and Last as England captain
The second of our series of former England captains features the legend that is Bill Beaumont.
Awarded 34 England caps, 21 as captain, the Lancashire colossus began playing for his beloved Fylde aged 17 and made his England debut at 22.
A powerful and mobile second row, with lineout and ball skills that would grace a modern day Test team, Bill’s ability to lead by example made him a natural choice as captain.
His quiet humour and modesty made him a popular skipper. Of his only try, playing for England/Wales combined v Scotland/Ireland in 1980 to celebrate the WRU centenary, he said he was “always lethal from one yard!”
After retiring from playing for Fylde RUFC, for Lancashire and England, he stepped up to become one of sport’s leading administrators.
Now chairman of World Rugby, he was formerly chairman of the RFU and was a hugely popular team captain of A Question of Sport for 14 years.
For services to rugby, he was knighted at Buckingham Palace by Her Majesty the Queen in February 2019.
His first Test as skipper was away in Paris against the reigning Grand Slam champions with an indomitable pack. His last was a dogfight in Murrayfield which ended in a draw thanks to the opposition’s last-minute penalty.
First v France at Parc des Princes 21 January 1978 (England lost 15-6)
“The first time I was captain was after Roger Uttley, who’d been injured. I’d been on the Lions tour and done OK when I captained England A against a USA team the previous October. The England coach was Peter Colston, a really nice guy who I still see if I’m in Bristol.
"The Chairman of selectors was Sandy Sanders, a former England player who went on to become a great administrator and President of the RFU. He selected me as captain and I couldn’t have had a harder start, away in Paris against the Grand Slam champions.
“I got the call a week before and I caught the train down to London on the Thursday morning. We trained at Richmond Athletic Ground on the Thursday afternoon and flew to Paris on the Friday. We stayed in Versailles and somebody brought along a film, probably a James Bond, as entertainment.
“Peter Wheeler was our hooker, he was hooker for almost all the matches I played, and I remember Fran Cotton was out injured. Alan Old dropped a couple of goals and put us ahead but the French scored a couple of tries towards the end of the game.
“They had the best pack of forwards I had ever played against - tough, skilful, everything you want in a pack. We were up against the likes of Gerard Cholley, Robert Paparemborde, Jeanne Pierre Rives, they were as good as it gets. I played New Zealand and South Africa but that was the best pack, that French pack.
“Of course you are disappointed to lose but I think we were quite chuffed not to get stuffed. I’ve played in Paris when we’ve lost by a bigger margin. I flew back to Manchester on the Sunday afternoon and the other guys went back to Heathrow in the morning.
“You went back to work, battered and bruised on the Monday morning. Mike Slemen was back in front of a class teaching.
“Then you waited until the next game to see if you’d been picked. The guy from the Lancashire Evening Post used to ring me on the Monday morning of a match and tell me if I was in the team. He was the one who told me who was playing. Luckily I wasn’t ever dropped throughout my England career, so he wasn’t giving me bad news.”
Last v Scotland at Murryfield 16 January 1982 (a 9-9 draw as England retained the Calcutta Cup)
“For that last match I had been ill the previous day and I remember feeling awful and wondering was I fit enough to play? Mike Davies, the England coach, told me I was definitely playing and I did pretty well in the end.
“On that occasion the Beaumonts were well represented, my wife Hilary was watching and my dad Ron, who was my biggest supporter. For me the Scotland game was one of the biggest as I lived close to the border and Fylde played a lot of Scottish clubs.
“I remember the game well. Dusty Hare had been dropped and Marcus Rose was at full back. Paul Dodge could kick for miles and he kicked a marvellous penalty, way back on the right of the pitch with his left foot. It sailed over.
“He scored two penalties and Rose kicked one. We were leading 9-6. We were in front until the last play of the game when Ken Rowlands, the Welsh referee, decided to award them a penalty for something and nothing. I think Colin Smart pushed someone out of the way.
“I remember standing there as Andy Irvine took the kick. I knew he had the distance and knew it was going over as soon as it left his boot. It was an awful way to start a Five Nations. But better than losing away from home and we kept the Calcutta Cup.
“At the time I didn’t realise it would be my last game. I’d been suffering concussions and pins and needles for about nine months and then I played for Lancashire in the County Final and got a knock. I had a bit of double vision and a neurologist checked me and my records and told me to pack it in.
“I was selected to play against Ireland but that Scotland game was my last match, I hadn’t anticipated that.
“To captain your country is the biggest honour in sport. You start out playing for your nation, then you captain it and then you want to be successful as captain. It’s only then that you realise how much the result means to the people of your country.
“You only fully appreciate it as you get older, more mature as a player and a person. I was a far better player and captain when I played my last game than my first because by then I knew my way around an international field.
“You swap shirts, give some away. Fylde has a whole set of mine, as well as those of Malcom Phillips.”
To read about Steve Borthwick's First Last as England captain - click here
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