In Robert Kitson’s otherwise excellent article following England’s exit from the Rugby Union World Cup (One game in the north is not enough: rugby must try harder, 7 October) he states: “We cannot revert to the days of Otley staging World Cup games.” Fair enough, though he does recognise that there are other suitable venues in the north.
However, he neglects to mention one of the most famous games at Otley, on 17 November 1979, when the North beat the All Blacks 21-9. It was the only game the All Blacks lost on their 11-match tour. Eleven of the All Blacks side that lost to the North were in the team that defeated England 10-9 at Twickenham seven days later.
North skipper Bill Beaumont, now chairman of the Rugby Football Union, has remarked: “If someone ever said to me, ‘What’s the greatest 80 minutes you had on the rugby field?’ then that would be it.”
Twickenham please note.
Tony Hartigan
Otley, West Yorkshire
