Cumbria’s John Owen (pictured), currently President of the RFU, has added his voice to the many tributes which have been paid this week to BBC rugby union commentator Bill McLaren.

“Bill probably did more to promote the game of rugby union than the rest of us put together, and he was such an unasuming man as well – a proper gentleman.

“He was renowned throughout the world of sport for his enthusiasm and a memorable turn of phrase in his commentary style.

“I used to see him almost every time I went up to Scotland and it was always a pleasure to be in his company,” he said.
McLaren died earlier this week in his hometown of Hawick at the age of 86.

He was to rugby union what the likes of John Arlott and Richie Benaud (cricket), Peter O’Sullevan (horse racing) and Peter Alliss (golf) were to their sports.

McLaren's journalistic career started as a junior reporter with the Hawick Express and in 1953, he made his national debut for BBC Radio, covering Scotland's 12–0 defeat to Wales. He switched to television commentary six years later.

McLaren was one of many post-war commentators who progressed from commentating on BBC Radio to BBC Television during the infancy of televsion broadcasting in the UK.

These included Murray Walker (motor racing), Peter O'Sullevan (horse racing), Harry Carpenter (boxing and rowing), Dan Maskell (tennis), David Coleman (athletics), Peter Alliss (golf) and John Arlott (cricket).

Recognition of his services came in November 2001, when he became the first non-international to be inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame. He was awarded an MBE in 1992, an OBE in 1995 and a CBE in the 2003 honours list.

A Facebook group, backed by over 6,000 members, was campaigning to gain a knighthood for McLaren.

McLaren also featured as a commentator on the video games Jonah Lomu Rugby and EA Rugby 2001.

During his final commentary, Wales v Scotland in 2002, the crowd sang "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" and one Welsh supporter displayed a banner claiming "Bill McLaren is Welsh".

As a young man he made the Hawick First XV before serving with the Royal Artillery in Italy during the Second World War.

He played in a Scotland trial in 1947 and was on the verge of a full international cap before contracting tuberculosis, which nearly killed him and forced him to give up playing. He spent 19 months in a sanatorium before being given an experimental drug, Streptomycin, which saved his life.

McLaren studied Physical Education in Aberdeen, and went on to teach PE in different schools throughout Scotland right through to 1987. He coached several Hawick youngsters who went on to play for Scotland, including Jim Renwick, Colin Deans and Tony Stanger.

His son-in-law is former Scotland rugby scrum half Alan Lawson. He and wife Bette had five grandchildren, including Scotland scrum-half and Gloucester player Rory Lawson.

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