Andrew Douglas Nicol (born 12 March 1971), is a former
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
international
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
player. A
scrum-half, Nicol won 23
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and had brief spells as a replacement on two
British & Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
tours.
Rugby Union career
Amateur career
Nicol was born on 12 March 1971 in
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
and educated at the
High School of Dundee
The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in Dundee, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils. Its foundation has been dated to 1239, and it is the only priv ...
and Dundee Institute of Technology (now
Abertay University
, mottoeng = "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom."
, established = 1994 – granted University Status 1888 – Dundee Institute of Technology
, type = Public
, chancellor = Alice Brown
, principal = Liz Bacon
, head_label = Chair of C ...
). He played for
Dundee HSFP
Dundee HSFP is a former rugby union team that played their home games at the Mayfield Playing Fields, Dundee, Scotland. The club disbanded in 2021.
The team was founded in 1880 by former pupils of the High School of Dundee. The men's side play ...
.
Provincial and professional career
In the amateur era Nicol played for
North and Midlands
North and Midlands - and now known as Caledonia - is a select provincial amateur rugby union team that draws its players mainly from north of Scotland, roughly corresponding from around Stirling northwards.
Historically the North and Midlands te ...
.
When the game turned professional Nicol played for
Bath. As captain of
Bath, he was the first British player to lift the
Heineken Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...
, when they defeated
Brive in 1998.
In 1999 Nicol moved from Bath to Glasgow Warriors. He made his competitive debut for the Glasgow provincial side on 3 September 1999, playing an away match against
Pontypridd
() (colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Geography
comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng (Trallwn) and Treforest (). The ...
in the
Welsh-Scottish League. He became
Glasgow Warrior No. 65.
Nicol retired at the end of the 2002–03 season,
International career
Nicol played for Scotland 'B' against France 'B' on 02 March 1991; he played for the 'B' side again against Ireland 'B' on 28 December 1991.
Nicol made his debut for Scotland in 1992 against England. Over 10 years he won 23 caps for Scotland, a period when he faced strong competition for selection from scrum halves
Gary Armstrong and
Bryan Redpath
Bryan William Redpath (born 2 July 1971 in Galashiels) is a former Scotland international rugby union player and former rugby union coach. He is currently the Director of Rugby at London Scottish.
Early life and family
Redpath attended Kel ...
. He never played in a World Cup, not being selected in 1991 and 1999, and being injured in 1995.
Nicol captained Scotland in 2000 when Scotland beat
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
19–13 at a rain-soaked
Murrayfield
Murrayfield is an affluent area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen and Roseburn. The A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murrayfield is often con ...
and so prevented England from achieving the
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
.
Nicol was a replacement on the
1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand
In 1993 the British Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand. This was the last Lions tour in the sport's amateur era. The Lions were managed by Geoff Cooke, coached by Ian McGeechan and Dick Best, and captained by Gavin Hastings.
The Lions ...
, when he appeared in one game, playing six minutes. He was also called up as a late replacement for the Lions on their
2001 tour, replacing
Austin Healey
Austin Sean Healey (born 26 October 1973 in Wallasey (now part of Merseyside, formerly Cheshire), is a former English rugby union player who played as a utility back for Leicester Tigers, and represented both England and the British & Irish L ...
, whilst on holiday in Australia. In total he spent seven days with the Lions across two tours.
Coaching career
Nicol managed a Scottish-based sevens team, Bone Steelers, at the Dubai 7s from 2004 until 2006 and again in 2009.
Other interests
On 16 February 2007, Nicol was defeated in the
Rectorial election at the
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee; . Abbreviated as ''Dund.'' for post-nominals. is a public university, public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a University college#United Kingdom, university college in 1881 with a donation ...
. Former British Ambassador
Craig Murray
Craig John Murray (born 17 October 1958) is a Scottish author, human rights campaigner, journalist, and former diplomat for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Between 2002 and 2004, he was the British ambassador to Uzbekistan during ...
was duly elected Lord Rector with 632 votes to Nicol's 582. He was awarded an honorary degree by Abertay University in 2013.
Nicol is a commentator for BBC Sport.
References
External links
Sporting Heroes Profileon ESPN Scrum
Lions profile
1971 births
Living people
People educated at the High School of Dundee
Alumni of Abertay University
Scottish rugby union players
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Scotland
Rugby union scrum-halves
Glasgow Warriors players
Bath Rugby players
Scottish rugby union coaches
Scotland international rugby union players
Dundee HSFP players
Scotland international rugby sevens players
Male rugby sevens players
Rugby union players from Dundee
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