David Miller Durie Rollo (born on 7 July 1934) is a former

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

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 it ...

player. He played as a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...

forward. Unusually for a Scotland internationalist, he came from Fife.Massie, p166

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Rollo went to

Bell Baxter High School Bell Baxter High School is a non-denominational comprehensive school for 11 to 18-year-olds in Cupar, Fife, Scotland. Founded in 1889, it educates over 1,500 pupils mainly from the surrounding villages. The school is one of 18 secondary sc ...

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fi ...

, and continues to support their rugby team.Ferguson, Davi
Rollo sets target for pupils of today
''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

'', published 20 December 2006 However, while at school, he preferred football. Rollo played for Howe of Fife R.F.C. until he was 40. As a prop, Rollo could play both tight and loosehead: :"''the Fife farmer who always played with his stockings rolled down to his ankles, was strong and skilful enough to play on either side of the scrum.''"

Provincial career

Rollo 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 ...

in the

Scottish Inter-District Championship The Scottish Inter-District Championship is a rugby union competition between regional sides in Scotland. Established in 1953, the tournament went through several formats. The Scottish Rugby Union confirmed in January 2023 that the Scottish In ...

. Rollo was in the first two Blues Trial side matches against

Whites Trial White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

in 1962-63, scoring a try in each game and helping secure the Blues win in both matches.

International career

Rollo played 40 times for

Allan Massie Allan Johnstone Massie (born 16 October 1938) is a Scottish journalist, columnist, sports writer and novelist. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He has lived in the Scottish Borders for the last 25 years, and now lives in Se ...

includes Rollo in his All-Time XV's reserves, saying "Rollo's ability to play on either side of the scrum would make him a natural member of the squad".

Bill McLaren William Pollock McLaren (16 October 1923 – 19 January 2010) was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. Known as 'the voice of rugby', he retired from commentating in 2002. Renowned throughout th ...

witnessed Rollo's international debut, at the 1959

Calcutta Cup The Calcutta Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the rugby match between England and Scotland played annually in the Six Nations Championship. Like the match itself (England–Scotland), the Calcutta Cup is the oldest trophy contested be ...

game :"''That 1959 match, at which I shared the radio commentary was quite distinctive for the courage shown by the Fife farmer, David Rollo who was gaining his first cap out of the Howe of Fife club. Soon after the start David suffered a broken nose, but after a brief absence for repairs, he returned to play prop with undiminished fire. After that debut it hardly was surprising that David went on to gain 40 caps.''"McLaren, p 91

References

;Sources # McLaren, Bill ''Talking of Rugby'' (1991, Stanley Paul, London ) # Massie, Allan ''A Portrait of Scottish Rugby'' (Polygon, Edinburgh; )

External links

Howe of Fife RFC, David Rollo

1934 births Living people Barbarian F.C. players Blues Trial players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Scotland Howe of Fife RFC players North and Midlands players People educated at Bell Baxter High School Rugby union players from Fife Scotland international rugby union players Scottish rugby union players Rugby union props {{Scotland-rugbyunion-bio-stub