Dream debut …then tutor to a rock star

IRELAND had never beaten anyone from the southern hemisphere when the Wallabies turned up at Lansdowne Road in January 1958. A home pack containing no fewer than five Test novices hardly suggested that history was about to be made.
The new caps included a trio who would make it big with the Lions - Ronnie Dawson, Noel Murphy and Bill Mulcahy. James Donaldson lined up in the back row behind the other debutant, fellow Ulsterman James Stevenson.
No matter how tough the opposition, ‘Stevie’ never had a problem standing out in any crowd thanks to a bald head atop an unus...

Continue reading...

Access all our premium content from as little as 14p per day!

Already a subscriber to our website? Login