My friend Stan Hodgson, who has died aged 86, played his entire rugby union career for Durham City, appeared 11 times for England, and toured with the British Lions in South Africa. In an era when hookers were selected for their ability to strike for the ball, his mongoose-like reflexes and incredible suppleness made him one of the best. In club and county matches it was not unusual for him to win almost all of the scrums, on one occasion leaving a seasoned Yorkshire hooker in tears.
In 1962 Stan broke his leg in his first match on a tour of South Africa with the Lions, but was asked to remain for the whole tour because of his positive influence. A sinewy 11 stone, he was almost always the smallest forward on the field. His technique was to encourage the props to lower the scrum to the point where only his wiry flexibility allowed him to strike, when necessary, with his head. Mike Western, his Durham and England teammate, remembers Stan doing just this, against the head, against Ireland. Much to the annoyance of the Irish pack, it allowed Richard Sharp to stroll in for a try under the posts.
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from Sport | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1DEzoJJ
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