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England v Scotland Preview - 1983 - The Year That Was

Matchbox

The last time Scotland tasted victory in Twickenham against England was 34 years ago. Jim Telfer was head coach and scrum-half Roy Laidlaw (Uncle to a certain Greig) scored a try in the 12–22 victory. A momentous day for Scottish Rugby fans, but what else happened in 1983?

Wooden Spoon

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As if losing at home to Scotland wasn’t painful enough, England went on to pick up the wooden spoon, finishing in last place in the Five nations. France took the title on points difference.

 The A Team

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire… The A Team. The year that brought us B.A, Murdock, Hannibal & The Face. Thank you 1983.

All Blacks

50,000 Scottish fans crammed into Murrayfield to watch Jim Pollock score a late try to secure a 25-25 draw with New Zealand. Let’s not talk about the conversion or their record since.

Moonwalk

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Every now and then something comes along that shakes the earth to its core. In 1983 this happened for the very first time. 4.08 into the video to be exact. Someone should really integrate this into their try scoring routine.

 Glory, Glory Aberdeen!

Scotland were riding high in the sporting world. Aberdeen & Alex Ferguson beat Real Madrid 2–1 to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the Scottish team.

Hooters

The hair was bigger & the T-shirts baggier, but Florida decided to unleash this on the World in 1983:

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Lions Tour

Led by Ciaran Fitzgerald, The British & Irish Lions lost the series 4-0 to the All Blacks as part of their 18 match tour to New Zealand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MwygWFiA7I

McNuggets

Not quite Scottish, but the ‘Mc’ does have Celtic roots. 1983 saw the arrival of these tasty, diabetes inducing treats.

Maggie’s Back

This delightful lady was re-elected by a landslide majority.

The KOP

Liverpool won the English first division and Man City were relegated. I wonder how many fans City had back then?

Delorean

It may seem like all was right in the world, but 1983 wasn’t without tragedy. It was also the year that The DeLorean Motor Company ceased production. RIP

Will this be the year Scotland end their Twickenham drought, or will we be reliving 1983 for a few more years to come?

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B
BeamMeUp 1 hour ago
The Springboks have something you don't have

A few comments. Firstly, I am a Bok fan and it's been a golden period for us. I hope my fellow Bok fans appreciate this time and know that it cannot last forever, so soak it all in!


The other thing to mention (and this is targeted at Welsh, English and even Aussie supporters who might be feeling somewhat dejected) is that it's easy to forget that just before Rassie Erasmus took over in 2018, the Boks were ranked 7th in the world and I had given up hope we'd ever be world beaters again.


Sport is a fickle thing and Rassie and his team have managed to get right whatever little things it takes to make a mediocre team great. I initially worried his methods might be short-lived (how many times can you raise a person's commitment by talking about his family and his love of his country as a motivator), but he seems to have found a way. After winning in 2019 on what was a very simple game plan, he has taken things up ever year - amazing work which has to be applauded! (Dankie Rassie! Ons wardeer wat jy vir die ondersteuners en die land doen!) (Google translate if you don't understand Afrikaans! 😁)


I don't think people outside South Africa fully comprehend the enormity of the impact seeing black and white, English, Afrikaans and Xhosa and all the other hues playing together does for the country's sense of unity. It's pure joy and happiness.


This autumn tour has been a bit frustrating in that the Boks have won, but never all that convincingly. On the one hand, I'd like to have seen more decisive victories, BUT what Rassie has done is expose a huge number of players to test rugby, whilst also diversifying the way the Boks play (Tony Brown's influence).


This change of both style and personnel has resulted in a lack of cohesion at times and we've lost some of the control, whereas had we been playing our more traditional style, that wouldn't happen. This is partially attributable to the fact that you cannot play Tony Brown's expansive game whilst also having 3 players available at every contact point to clear the defence off the ball. I have enjoyed seeing the Boks play a more exciting, less attritional game, which is a boring, albeit effective spectacle. So, I am happy to be patient, because the end justifies the means (and I trust Rassie!). Hopefully all these players we are blooding will give us incredible options for substitutions come next year's Rugby Championship and of course, the big prize in 2027.


Last point! The game of rugby has never been as exciting as it is now. Any of Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Argentina, Scotland, England & Australia can beat one another. South Africa may be ranked #1, but I wouldn't bet my house in them beating France or New Zealand, and we saw Argentina beating both South Africa and New Zealand this year! That's wonderful for the game and makes the victories we do get all the sweeter. Each win is 100% earned. Long may it last!


Sorry for the long post! 🏉🌍

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