Birth name | Alexander Darling Govan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 1914 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 1996 (aged 81–82) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Daniel Stewart's College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
92nd President of the Scottish Rugby Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 1978–1979 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Frank Coutts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Jimmy Ross | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lex Govan (1914 - July 1996) was a Scottish rugby union player. He was the 92nd President of the Scottish Rugby Union. [1]
He played rugby union and cricket for Daniel Stewart's College. On leaving school he played for Stewart's College FP,playing in the 1st XV at the age of 17. He was one of the side that won the 1937-38 Scottish Unofficial Championship;the first championship title in the club's history.
During the Second World War he joined the Royal Scots but he was back at Stewart's College FP in 1946 and the club won another championship title.
Govan played for the Scotland Probables in the 1934-35 season. He was never selected for Scotland;the closest he came was being the reserve hooker in the 1946-47 season. [2]
He was capped for Edinburgh District and captained the side. [2]
He served on the Stewart's College FP committee and was President of the club 1956 to 1958. [2]
He was on the selection committee of Edinburgh District from 1958 to 1961. He was elected to the SRU as a District representative in 1961. [3]
Govan was on the SRU selection committee from 1962 to 1973. He was also a British and Irish Lions selector. [3]
When on the SRU committee Govan persuaded the Scotland selectors that a Head Coach style appointment would be better to look after the team rather than the captain. The person Govan had in mind was Bill Dickinson. Officially termed an 'advisor to the captain' Dickinson was able to coach the players but not have a role in selection. Govan recalled: [4]
I had a bit of a job persuading other members to my way of thinking. Once I had won them round Bill Dickinson was the only candidate. Bill was so enthusiastic and so full of rugby. He was also a very good communicator and once the chaps had confidence in him he took Scottish rugby quite a way forward.
He was Vice-President of the SRU in 1977. [3]
Govan became the 92nd President of the Scottish Rugby Union. He served the standard one year from 1978 to 1979. [5]
As President of the Scottish Rugby Union one of the standard roles was to give the players a stirring speech before kick off in test matches. Jim Renwick recalled Govan's speeches were different:they were to the point: [6]
When Lex Govan was President he used to say things like:'I've only got three words to say to you boys:Fire and F**king fury!' It was always four or five words instead of three and I remember Ian McGeechan used to aye laugh at that.
During the Second World War,Govan joined the Royal Scots. [7]
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union,having been founded in 1873,as the Scottish Football Union. The SRU oversees the national league system,known as the Scottish League Championship,and the Scottish National teams. The SRU is headed by the President and Chairman,with Mark Dodson acting as the Chief Executive Officer. Dee Bradbury became the first female president of a Tier 1 rugby nation upon her appointment on 4 August 2018.
West of Scotland Football Club is a rugby union club based in Milngavie,Scotland.
Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a leading rugby union side based in Edinburgh,Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the Edinburgh Regional Shield competition and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union. In the years prior to the SRU's introduction of club leagues in 1973 and the advent of professionalism in the 1990s,EURFC was a major club power and it won the 'unofficial' Scottish Club championship several times. It remains a club with an all-student committee,and is only open to students of the University of Edinburgh. The club runs a men's team and a women's team;both playing in the university leagues.
Bill Dickinson was a Scottish rugby union player and coach. He was appointed the first official national coach of Scotland in 1971. Richard Bath points out that Dickinson's appointment made an "immediate impact" in performance,leading to a one-point loss (18-17) to a "rampant Wales side" and wins against England and others. Allan Massie describes his contribution to Scottish rugby as "immense".
The 1883 Home Nations Championship was the inaugural series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Five matches were played between 16 December 1882 and 3 March 1883. It was contested by England,Ireland,Scotland,and Wales.
Rugby union in Scotland in its modern form has existed since the mid-19th century. As with the history of rugby union itself however,it emerged from older traditional forms of football which preceded the codification of the sport. In the same manner as rugby union in England,rugby union in Scotland would grow at a significant rate to the point where Scotland played England in the first ever rugby union international in 1871,a match which was won by the Scottish team.
The Scotland national B rugby union team was one of several national rugby union teams behind the Scottish national side. It was largely used as a development side and began in the era when Scotland had little in the way of an age-grade pathway.
Glasgow District was a Scottish amateur rugby union team which now plays as the professional provincial side Glasgow Warriors. Founded in 1872 it was a select provincial amateur rugby union team that drew its players mainly from the Greater Glasgow area,as well as others from the rest of the west of Scotland;roughly corresponding to the old Strathclyde regional council area. Historically the Glasgow District team played matches against touring teams visiting Scotland from abroad,and also competed in the Scottish Inter-District Championship.
The 1974–75 Scottish Inter-District Championship was a rugby union competition for Scotland's district teams.
Ian William Forsyth is a Scottish former rugby union player who won six international caps for the Scotland national rugby union team. He played at Centre.
Melville College Former Pupils is a former rugby union side in Edinburgh,Scotland.
The Scottish Unofficial Championship was the top league of Scotland's best amateur rugby union clubs. The Championship was 'unofficial' as the Scottish Rugby Union held that the sport should remain amateur and at the time did not sanction competitive games between the clubs.
The President of the Scottish Rugby Union is the figurehead of rugby union in Scotland.
James Aikman Smith was a Scottish rugby union player and later became an international referee. He became the 47th President of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Alfred Lawrie was a Scottish rugby union player and international referee. He became the 57th President of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Rae Tod was a Scottish rugby union player. He was the 81st President of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Tom Pearson was a Scottish rugby union player. He became the 102nd President of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Fred McLeod was a Scottish rugby union player. He became the 110th President of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Charlie Ritchie was a Scottish rugby union player. He became the 111th President of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Bert Duffy is a Scottish former rugby union player. He was the 117th President of the Scottish Rugby Union.