Alan Tomes (born 6 November 1951) is a former

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

international

rugby union player Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Born in Hawick, Tomes moved to Gateshead when he was 8 years old. He played rugby for Gateshead Fell. His grandfather, still in Hawick, told Robin Charters of his rugby loving grandson in the north-east of England. Tomes recalls:

Dad got a phonecall from lub stalwartRobin Charters: 'How big’s this boy of yours, Charlie?’ I was 6ft 5ins so I got asked up to Mansfield Park for a trial. Robin told me to go into the changing-room and introduce myself. Fourteen other guys wondered: 'Who’s this big bugger?’ I was a bit forward, calling myself a replacement for Jim Scott. Plus, Jim Renwick was in full flow with a funny story and I interrupted him. Not an auspicious first day!

He then played for

Hawick Hawick ( ; ; ) is a town in the Scottish Borders council areas of Scotland, council area and counties of Scotland, historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east o ...

Provincial career

He was capped by South of Scotland District. He played for

Scotland Probables Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

on 11 January 1975.

International career

He was capped by Scotland 'B' against France 'B' in 1975. He had 48 caps for

. He toured South Africa in 1980 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 national rugby union team, England, Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland, and ...

. He also played for the Barbarians. Tomes remembered:

I remember making a 50-yard break for the Barbarians and the attitude of my English colleagues was: 'Middle-rows just don’t do that.' England have never played a loose game whereas, bulk or no bulk, Scots have always wanted to have a go.

References

1951 births Living people Scottish rugby union players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Scotland Rugby union locks Scotland international rugby union players Hawick RFC players Scotland 'B' international rugby union players Scotland Probables players South of Scotland District (rugby union) players Barbarian F.C. players Rugby union players from Hawick 1987 Rugby World Cup players {{Scotland-rugbyunion-bio-1950s-stub