Nigel Starmer-Smith
England
Full name Nigel Christopher Starmer-Smith
Born December 25, 1944, Cheltenham
Current age 79 years 85 days
Major teams England, England XV
Position Scrum-half

Test career
Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop GfM Won Lost Draw %
All Tests 1969-1971 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 28.57
Five/Six Nations 1970-1970 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 25

Career statistics
Test debut England v South Africa at Twickenham, Dec 20, 1969 match details
Last Test England v Presidents XV at Twickenham, Apr 17, 1971 match details
Test Statsguru Main menu | Career summary | Match list | Tournament list
Profile

Nigel Starmer-Smith was a scrum-half who won a Blue at Oxford in 1965 and 1966, his performance in the second game in December 1966 earning him a call-up for England against the Rest in a Test trial later that month. He remained on the fringes of national selection, touring Canada with an England XV in 1967, until he finally won the first of his five caps against South Africa in December 1969, turning in a much-praised performance in an 11-6 win. He was less impressive in a 9-3 win over Ireland at the start of the Five Nations the following February, but he retained his place for all four matches. He was one of seven players dropped at the start of the 1970-71 tournament - widely considered unluckily so - but returned with another lauded display in the final game against Scotland. He toured Singapore and Ceylon with an England XV in October 1970 but was again discarded ahead of that season's major matches. He remained talked about but was never picked again. He continued to play for Harlequins while starting to work as a commentator for the BBC (as well as teaching) and retired at the end of the 1975-76 season. He continued to front BBC's rugby coverage for many years, also commentating on other sports when needed, such as Olympic hockey, as well as editing Rugby World.
Martin Williamson

Latest Articles
A last-gasp winner and a hijacked bus (Dec 20, 1969) The birth of the Calcutta Cup ... and business as usual (Dec 25, 1900)
Latest Photos
Jul 1, 1977
Nigel Starmer-Smith interviews Lions captain Phil Bennett
Nigel Starmer-Smith interviews Lions captain Phil Bennett
©  Getty Images

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