With the 16th edition of the Rugby League World Cup well under way and plucky Scotland set to play heavy favourites Australia tonight, it is fitting to look at the inaugural 1954 tournament in France where two Scots played a crucial role in the Great Britain’s team win.
Inspiring captain Dave Valentine was from Hawick and remains the only Scot ever to lift a World Cup in any football code above his head while Davie Rose who scored a try in every game including the Final was from Jedburgh. Rose was a late replacement for original selection, the renowned Billy Boston and later joked,” Well, I couldna’ let a Hawick man be the only Scotsman in the team.”
Both Valentine and Rose had played Union for Scotland before turning to professional League – a switch which then did not meet with universal approval from the amateur Union game, the Borders having proved a fertile recruiting ground for League clubs.
