David Sole
Encyclopedia
- For the singer and actor, please see David SoulDavid SoulDavid Soul is an American-British actor and singer, best known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television programme Starsky and Hutch . He gained British citizenship in 2004.-Early life:...
.
David Sole (born 8 May 1962) is a former Scottish rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer. He was educated at Blairmore
Blairmore School
Blairmore School was an independent boarding school in Glass near Huntly, Aberdeenshire until its closure in 1993.-History:Blairmore School was established in 1947 as an independent prep school for boys aged 8-13 by Colonel D.R. Ainslie D.S.O., B.A., a keen educationalist, Cambridge graduate and...
prep school and Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. The school's motto is Floreat Glenalmond...
, a private school in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
.
He made his Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
debut in 1986 against France and went on to win 44 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
at prop between 1986 and 1992, with a record 25 as captain.
He was also the first choice loosehead prop with the victorious British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in Australia in 1989.
In 1990, David Sole was captain for a Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
decider at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
against the auld enemy (Lowland Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
for old enemy) and hot favourites, England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
. This is sometimes considered to be Scotland's greatest match, and one well remembered, as Richard Bath says:
- "David Sole is another of those players who is remembered and virtually defined by one moment: in this case it was when he made the decision for his side to take the now famous walk onto the pitch for the Grand Slam decider against EnglandEngland national rugby union teamThe England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
at MurrayfieldMurrayfield StadiumMurrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
in 1990. As a statement of resolve, it was a masterstroke from which the English never recovered as they lost the most high-profile game in Five Nations Rugby history. It also cemented Sole's name in Scottish folklore...
- "[David Sole was] one of the game's most softly-spoken and considered men off the field and one of the most inspirational and thoughtful captains and players on it."
Scotland won 13-7, denying England the Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
and claiming their third Grand Slam after their previous triumphs in 1925 and 1984.
He made his final international appearance in 1992 against Australia.
Nowadays David acts as the co-commentator for BBC Scotland's coverage of rugby union matches, most recently in the 2007 Summer Tests before the 2007 Rugby World Cup, a tournament that STV owned the rights to. He commentated on Scotland v Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
at McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park is a football stadium in Perth, Scotland, the home ground of St. Johnstone FC. It has an all-seated capacity of 10,673.-History:...
on 13 November 2004 when Scotland won 100-8.
Articles by or about David Sole
- Canny Hadden will have spotted chinks in England's armour, Telegraph, 25 February 2006
- Sole backs Scots to shock England, The Scotsman, 15 February 2006
- Reasons to be cheerful despite defeat in Cardiff, Telegraph, 14 February 2006
- Scanty evidence for Williams' bold boast - Telegraph, 21 March 2005
External links
- David Sole in The ScotsmanThe ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
newspaper - David Sole, Executive Coaching Consultant
- David Sole at Rugby Heroes Part 1
- David Sole at Rugby Heroes Part 2
- David Sole at Rugby Heroes Part 1 (International Caps)
- David Sole at Rugby Heroes Part 2 (International Caps)