FORMER Scotland and British & Irish Lions prop Sandy Carmichael has died after a period of illness. He was 77 years old. 

Playing out of the formidable West of Scotland club in the late 1960s and through the 1970, Carmichael was capped 50 times between his debut against Ireland in February 1967 and his final match against the same opposition in January 1978. It was a record number of appearances for the national side at the time. 

He also toured with the British and Irish Lions to New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974, but his chances of making the Test side on the first of those trips were cruelly robbed by a vicious assault at the bottom of a ruck during a brutal match against Canterbury the week before the first match against the All Blacks. 

Carmichael suffered five fractures of the cheekbone. HE played on until the final whistle but was sent home the following day and insisted thereafter that he would take the name of the perpetrator to his grave. The episode remains one of the most notorious in international rugby history. 

Ian McLauchlan, a great friend and propping partner throughout their international careers, said years ater that: “Sandy is the bravest guy I know, he would do anything that needed done on the rugby field, except he wasn’t interested in punching. He would scrummage hard, he would tackle hard he would go down on the ball, he would get trampled over – but that side of it was totally alien to him.” 

He was awarded an MBE in the 1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours. 

Carmichael’s son Trevor – one of four children and a cohort of grandchildren – is currently head coach of GHA, who play in the Tennent’s Premiership, the top-flight of amateur rugby in Scotland.