John Young Rutherford (born 4 October 1955) 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 player.Bath, p156 His regular playing position was Fly half.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Rutherford played for Selkirk. Rutherford was nicknamed Rud or Ruddie.

Provincial career

Rutherford was capped by

South of Scotland South of Scotland may refer to: * The southern portion of Scotland ** Geography of Scotland * South of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region) * South of Scotland (European Parliament constituency) * South of Scotland District (rugby union) ...

International career

Rutherford gained 42 caps at

fly-half In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

for

between 1979 and 1987. Richard Bath writes of him that: :"''Outside , perhaps only the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

pair of Tony Ward and

Ollie Campbell Seamus Oliver Campbell (born 5 March 1954) is an Irish former rugby union player. He played flyhalf for Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland from 1976 to 1984. He is most well known for his role in orchestrating Ireland's Triple Crown vict ...

were able to hold a candle to fly-half John Rutherford, the man who dominated Scottish back play for most of the 1980s... Deceptively quick and a natural athlete, he was able to boot the ball prodigious distances or beat a man one-on-one, seemingly at will. Allied to a keen rugby intellect, Rutherford was Scotland's star turn throughout the 1980s.''" Rutherford was a major figure in Scotland's 1984 Grand Slam. In the warm up for the 1987 world cup he injured his knee in an unofficial game against Bermuda. He consequently didn't last long in the opening game for in the 1987 World Cup against . This proved to be his last international appearance He partnered scrum-half

Roy Laidlaw Roy James Laidlaw (born 5 October 1953) is a former Scotland international rugby union player.Bath, pp145, 146 Rugby Union career Amateur career Much of his domestic rugby was played with Jed-Forest RFC, who were in the Scottish Second Divi ...

in 35 tests, at the time the record for any international half-back pairing. Richard Bath writes of this partnership that: :"''every country has, at some stage, a double-act which sees two players through sheer longevity, become mentioned in the same breath... One of the most enduring partnerships was that of

Jed-Forest Jed-Forest Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team who are based at Riverside Park in Jedburgh. The team was founded in 1885 and currently play in Scottish Premiership and the Border League. Jed-Forest Sevens The club organises the Jed-Fore ...

and Selkirk's John Rutherford. For nigh on a decade, the two were immovable at half-back for Scotland. Unlike most of the other famous pairings, however, it was Laidlaw and Rutherford's differences rather than their similarities, that melded them into an outstanding partnership. On the one hand, there was the peerless Rutherford, all grace and poise, who could glide through tackles and drill a ball onto a sixpence in the opposition's 22. On the other, there was Laidlaw, a gutsy fighter in the classic Borders mould. The pair played together on 35 occasions, a world record for a half-back partnership.''" Rutherford was chosen to tour with the

British and 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 ...

in 1983, being picked to play in the test team at

inside centre In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

. Rutherford also played for the

Rest of the World XV British Lions v The Rest was a 1986 rugby union match that saw the British Lions play against 'The Rest' to celebrate the centenary of the International Rugby Football Board. The Rest consisted of players from Australia, France, New Zealand and ...

Business career

After his exit from Scottish Rugby, John Rutherford went on to work in the financial sector, and direct a financial consultancy. Rutherford is a Director of The

Bill McLaren Foundation 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 ...

alongside Andy Irvine.

References

;Sources # Bath, Richard (ed.) ''The Complete Book of Rugby'' (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ) # Massie, Allan ''A Portrait of Scottish Rugby'' (Polygon, Edinburgh; )

External links

Rugby photographic encyclopedia & rugby union player/hero images by sporting-heroes.net

Rugby photographic encyclopedia & rugby union player/hero images by sporting-heroes.net
1955 births Living people Scottish rugby union players Scotland international rugby union players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Scotland Rugby union fly-halves South of Scotland District (rugby union) players Selkirk RFC players People educated at Selkirk High School {{Scotland-rugbyunion-bio-stub