KeithQuinnRugby
Thinking and talking about rugby every day for 50+ years
You are here: Home » Sporting Quotes
'US President Gerald Ford's golf was so bad we thought he was a 'Hitman for the PGA!'
'An optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist sees the whole.'
'The other man's arse is always cleaner!'
'You've got to get your first tackle in early, even if it's late!'
'No doubt about it, in my career Ron Lyle hit me the hardest. One time he hit me so hard I didn't see it until I saw it on film when I woke up!'
'I have found in my time moving around sports grounds - that the knowledge of the game from the crowd is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats.'
'I never stole nuttin' unless it began with an 'A' - A truck, a car, a payroll...!'
'Rugby is three things; its ballet, opera and bloody murder!'
From American motivational speaker Paul J.Meyer; 'Whatever you vividly imagine; Ardently desire; Sincerely believe in and Enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass.'
'I always try to remember that praise and a slap on your back is only 6 inches away from a kick up the arse!'
'God somehow makes sure that in international rugby nobody wins ALL the time!'
'To prepare for a really big match you don't have to be in a good mood, or even a bad mood...you just have to be in the right mood!'
The local Illawarra team played the All Blacks and a young New Zealander called Colin Meads, aged 20, made his AB debut. 15 seasons later he retired as one of the greats!
BEAUMONT, BILL
Fylde and England
34 internationals for England 1975–82
7 internationals for British Isles 1977–80
William Blackledge Beaumont was just a lad of 11 when England won the Five Nations championship in 1963. When England next won the championship in March 1980, Beaumont was six days past his 28th birthday and was captain of the team. It was England’s first Grand Slam for 23 years, and it ensured Beaumont a prominent niche in that country’s rugby history.
In the 1970s a depression hung over English rugby – five times in that decade it had finished last in the Five Nations championship. The first signs of resurgence came when Beaumont, who had been a lower grade fullback at his club eight years before and an England lock for four years, led the Northern Division of England to victory over the 1979 All Blacks. His quiet style and unassuming manner belied a determination to succeed on the field. These qualities were somehow transferred to the England team of 1980.
In 1980, Beaumont led the British Isles to South Africa, a controversial tour accompanied by anti-apartheid protests in many parts of the world.
He played well and off the field behaved with quiet dignity. Sadly, his Lions team was not able to win for him another notable victory, going down 1–3 in the series.
Beaumont was a lock who had deceptive pace around the field and excellent ball skills. He was a front-of-the-lineout jumper and his strength at scrum time was a grand help to many an English international effort.
His playing career came to an abrupt end. In the 1982 English county final he complained about a head injury, which had affected him in several previous games, and left the field. Beaumont took medical advice and quit the game, right at the peak of his powers. He was only 29 years old.
There was great sadness in English rugby circles, but the ever-cheerful Beaumont carried on, making a name for himself as a TV commentator, then as a TV sports quiz panelist. He was awarded the OBE in 1982 and a CBE in 2008. He also became a rugby administrator, being England’s delegate to the IRB and in 2002 being voted onto the IRB Executive Committee. He has held that position since.
In 2012 he was elected Chairman of The Rugby Football Union (England).
From 2007 the winning team playing in the English County Championship is awarded the Bill Beaumont Cup.
Players with the surnames of Jones, Williams and Thomas when added together made up how many players in the Welsh squad at the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia?
What do you think?
Click here to show the answer.