scrum blog
ESPNscrum Home ESPNscrum Home
Fan Zone
Rumour Mill
Latest News

RSS feed
Paper Round

All the latest from the world of rugby

FeedbackFeedback

« Great rugby? No. Great party? Yes | | Rugby tribalism »

February 6, 2010

Posted on 02/06/2010

I never got near him

With Twickenham's centenary upon us, Paul Ackford recounts one of the greatest moments to grace the famous ground in The Daily Telegraph.

"Hodgkinson is the next fall guy as Camberabero blasts past him. The winger’s chip and catch flummoxes Dean Richards and Peter Winterbottom. The next hoof, a big one inside to Philippe Saint-Andre sprinting up the middle of the pitch, removes Will Carling from the equation. Jeremy Guscott is the final victim, catching up with Saint-Andre as the French speedster hurtles to the line, but not quite quickly enough as Twickenham explodes in reverence.

"And I was there. I was involved in that most wonderful of scores, involved in the game which was to herald England’s first Grand Slam in over a decade, removing the acrid taste of the defeat against Scotland in another Grand Slam epic the year before. I saw it all unfold. I was on kick-chase duty, jogging towards the posts to take care of any rebounds. I saw the look in Blanco’s eyes as he made his move, sensed the quickening responses of Blanco’s team-mates, eager to get involved. I felt the gathering momentum as one of the great moments of rugby history was played out.

"Or, rather, that’s the memory I wish to carry. The truth is that Blanco looked up, probably smiled dismissively to himself as he saw some big bloke in a white shirt lumbering towards him, and set about making magic. I never got near him."

FeedbackFeedback

Recent Posts
Categories
Archives
© ESPN EMEA Ltd
espn