John Spence Swan, known as Ian Swan (14 July 1930 – 18 September 2004) was a Scottish international

rugby union 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 ...

player. He played as a

Wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

Rugby union career

Amateur career

He played rugby at Madras College, his school. Moving to University, he played rugby for St. Andrews University. After university Swan joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the army. He played for the Army Rugby Union side.The Essential History of Rugby Union: Scotland. Nick Oswald and John Griffiths. Swan played for London Scottish. In the 1950s the Scotland selectors only considered selection for the national team if the players played in Scotland or for London Scottish. Yet Swan moved to play for the

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its home ...

which he captained. Swan then played for

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

International career

He was capped for 17 times from 1953 to 1958. In 1955 he turned down an opportunity to play for 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 ...

Administration

Swan became a Vice President of Hawick then Jedforest.

Other sports

Tennis

Swan won a Scottish mixed doubles title. He represented the South of Scotland at tennis.

Golf

A keen golfer, he was a member of the Royal and Ancient Club in St Andrews from 1963. He won the Queen Victoria Jubilee Vase in 1985. He was also a member of the Castelnaud-de-Gratecambe golf club in Lot et Garonne France.

Athletics

He represented the Army at athletics.

Business

He became a Director at Pringle in Hawick. He later launched Kall-Kwik Printing franchises in Edinburgh.

References

1930 births 2004 deaths Scottish rugby union players Scotland international rugby union players London Scottish F.C. players University of St Andrews RFC players Leicester Tigers players Army rugby union players Coventry R.F.C. players Rugby union players from Fife Rugby union wings People educated at Madras College Alumni of the University of St Andrews Scottish sports executives and administrators Sportspeople from St Andrews Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers soldiers {{Scotland-rugbyunion-bio-1930s-stub