Although perhaps a little slighter in stature than your average retired rugby star, it is still quite apparent that “Mighty Mouse” was more than a match for his peers on the rugby field – certainly in terms of his attitude. He never felt inferior. So on that basis, you might say he and the Chevrolet Cruze operate along the same lines. “I’m a very confident boy. I always thought I was the best.”
A Scottish loosehead prop who starred for the national team between 1969 and 1979, Ian compensated for his size (5ft 8in) with raw power… it has been said that he had the ability to “burrow” underneath the opposition.
Attracted to the physicality of the game, it was when he moved to Ayr at the age of 11 that the passion began to really develop. “It was the physical aspect of the game that I absolutely loved. You could run at people and knock them down, where football was a bit nambypamby really.” It’s no surprise that boxing was Ian’s second sport!
Ian recently took a tour of some career milestones in the stylish new Chevrolet Cruze, and it kicked off at Hillhead Jordanhill Rugby Club’s home ground, Hughenden – which funnily enough, is where his professional career started. It still means a lot to Ian. “Last night I was looking at a photograph of our 1968 team that won the Scottish championship, and going through the names of all the guys who were there. It does make you feel very much affiliated to the club. There’s a great emotional tie.”
Although he retired 30 years ago, Ian still gets recognised today, which makes him truly proud of what he achieved. “We [the British Lions] went to New Zealand and South Africa on consecutive tours and won both series, and I played in all eight tests, so that’s another achievement – only about five people in the world have done that.”
Time to step back into the Cruze, for a leisurely drive to Duck Bay in the stunning Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, where Ian likes to relax. As a bit of a self confessed speed-freak, Ian is a car fanatic. “I do like a stylish car with power,” he says, which sounds not unlike the Cruze. They’re important qualities in a vehicle and on the battlefield of international rugby, and he feels the Scottish national side almost had that dream pairing this year. “The present squad are bringing more people to see the game, and have confidence in their ability,” although, at the time of writing, the team hadn’t quite got it together.
“I’m a very confident boy. I always thought I was the best”
Back to the Cruze, along the historic Rest and Be Thankful trunk road, and Ian pulls into the quaint village of Luss. Another relaxing beauty spot, you might say the Cruze is the automobile equivalent, making driving less taxing. With its rain-sensing automatic wipers, cruise control and climate control, the Cruze can be the place where you really get away from it all.
