Rugby Union: Murrayfield revisited: Four milestone matches between the auld enemies

1980: Scotland 18 England 30

ENGLAND clinched their first Grand Slam since 1957 with the winger John Carleton scoring three tries. The match was a fitting swan-song for the flankers Tony Neary (his 50th cap) and Roger Uttley, both of whom then retired. "It was the only international I played at Murrayfield after missing three visits through injury," said Uttley, who retains fond memories of a glorious afternoon for Bill Beaumont's team. "We were under pressure, but everyone was desperate for a decent showing after our previous outing against Wales, which was one of the worst games ever seen at Twickenham. We had a better pack than Scotland, but they had great backs. We started like a train and were running away with the game before getting a bit jaded. They came back at us but we kept scrapping and finished strongly. I tore a rib cartilage tackling Keith Robertson, and yet I thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout - it was a marvellous release after the tension of the earlier matches. Then we got very pissed."

1986: Scotland 33 England 6

A TRANSITIONAL England team made a promising start to the match only to find themselves on the receiving end as the rampant Scottish cut loose during a stunning second-half blitz. Nigel Melville, the England scrum-half that day, recalled what happened. "We were a new side coming together while they were much more experienced," he said. "It was a case of the old versus the new, but they still had a fabulous game. It seemed that every time Maurice Colclough got the ball, he dropped it and gave it away. Even though I was at scrum-half, I didn't see much of the ball because they seemed to ruck everything. They would win quick ball and then run it. Their forwards - especially John Jeffrey, Colin Deans and Iain Paxton - all played exceptionally well, but it was just one of those days when everything went right for them. Our consolation came two years later when we went back there and won. We played more through our forwards on that occasion, so we obviously learned a few lessons from that match."

1990: Scotland 13 England 7

AN HISTORIC Five Nations occasion - both sides had three wins going into the match, so the Grand Slam was at stake for each - was decided by a second-half try from Tony Stanger, who ran on to a Gavin Hastings through-kick. Scotland's captain David Sole famously led out the underdogs at a slow, purposeful march and Finlay Calder, the Scottish flanker, described the atmosphere as gladiatorial. "To be honest, we didn't play well in our earlier games whereas England had been exceptional," the former Lions captain remembered. "On that day, though, we were 30 per cent better and they were 15 per cent below their best. The stadium was more compact than it is now, which added to the theatre. Seldom has a Scotland side played as well. I was on fire - at the age of 33 I knew that I wouldn't have another chance. The pace was frantic throughout. Stanger says he doesn't wish to be remembered just for this match, but I would be happy - he will go to his grave known for that great moment."

1991: Scotland 6 England 9

THIS World Cup semi-final developed into an intense, forward-dominated war of attrition in which one mistake was always likely to tilt the balance decisively. Entering the final quarter, the match was deadlocked at 6-6 (two penalties apiece from Gavin Hastings and Jon Webb), when Hastings missed a kick from in front of the posts. Moments later, Rob Andrew dropped a goal to secure England's place in the final. The pinpoint pass which set up his decisive strike came from the scrum- half Richard Hill. "Everyone realised Rob was lining himself up for it, but it wasn't easy - left of the posts and outside the 22," Hill recalled. "My job was to get a decent pass to him. The slightest waver and he'd have been charged down because they had a fine back row - full of passion and enthusiasm. After our quarter-final victory over France in Paris, we were expected to win, but there's always a lively atmosphere at Murrayfield. It was a massive relief when we got through - no one likes to lose a semi-final."