SCOTLAND and New Zealand lie at opposite ends of the world, but the similarities and connections between the nations that meet at Murrayfield this afternoon run deep, and nowhere more so than on the rugby field.
Two Scots, Cliff Porter, born in Go
van and raised in Edinburgh, and Laurie Haig from Tranent in East Lothian, captained the famous All Blacks – Porter becoming a legend by leading the 1924-25 team on an unbeaten tour of the UK and France that earned the squad the nickname "The Invincibles".
In a history of 1,080 internationalists, the country ranked No1 in world rugby has fielded nine players born in Scotland, five from Ireland and seven from England among a total of 77 born overseas. But ten years ago the conveyor belt turned round and started dropping off in Scotland at a fair lick.
Striving to keep in touch with the leading nations in the new professional age, the SRU widened its scouting from the English-born Scots who had helped in the Grand Slam successes of 1984 and 1990.
Sean Lineen was the first "kilted Kiwi" of the modern era, contributing to that last Grand Slam during a 29-cap spell. But it was when Jim Telfer took over as SRU Director of Rugby that the south seas scouting intensified, with Glenn Metcalfe, Gordon Simpson, Shaun Longstaff and brothers John and Martin Leslie making their debuts in 1998, by virtue of Scots-born grandparents.
John Leslie recalls the delight of being part of Scotland's last real success, when the team lifted the Five Nations Championship trophy in 1999, and the bitterness of a sad demise in which he struggled with the honour of captaincy.
He now runs his own grassroots rugby business in Dunedin with his wife Carmel, and admits he takes little interest in rugby beyond the local pitches these days. But a Scotland-All Blacks clash stirs the blood.
"It's always a great occasion in New Zealand and Scotland, I think, and I'm looking forward to it," he told The Scotsman. "Chris Paterson is the only player left that I played with, but Mike Brewer (new Scotland forwards coach] was my first captain at Otago and I know he will have the Scottish pack well drilled.
"I have great memories and I feel very privileged to have been given the chance to play for, never mind captain, Scotland. I knew quite a bit about Scotland from my dad, and the personalities of the two nations are definitely very similar."
New Zealand has a population of just over four million and Scotland five million, yet there is a wide gulf – currently eight ranking positions – in world rugby terms. Having been part of the game on both sides, Leslie can see no impending change to that disparity.
"New Zealand have an advantage in that rugby is the number one sport here and that is not the case in Scotland, other than in the Borders area. When the sport is number one, there are more players in that sport, and so more competition at every level, but it also means the most naturally athletic people choose to play rugby in New Zealand before anything else. Many of the most skilful or athletic youngsters in Scotland aim for football, or maybe athletics, or something else before rugby.
"I remind people in New Zealand that the player base in Scotland is not very big – there are more people playing rugby just in Canterbury than in Scotland. New Zealanders don't realise that, yet they all believe Scotland is a big part of world rugby, because of the history, the enthusiasm Scots have for it, even if it's not the number one sport, the pride and passion in-built in Scottish teams, and because it produces seriously tough guys. Rugby is a natural fit in Scotland and I'd hate to see that change.
"But New Zealand also has the fortune of a great mix of cultures with Polynesians, White Europeans, Maori and others, which is superb for sport and rugby in particular. The All Blacks get criticised for having different roots in the team, but that is the beauty of this country – people have settled here from all over the world. Scotland doesn't have those resources which means it will always be the underdog."
That brings us on to Leslie's international career. There is no doubt that he grew up wanting to emulate his father Andy, a No8 who captained the All Blacks on his debut and skippered the team through 10 full Tests and 23 more All Blacks matches, including the famous "water polo" clash with Scotland in 1975. He is with the current squad in Edinburgh in his final year as NZRU president. John Leslie came close, but neither he nor brother Martin won All Black selection, and, after guiding Otago to another NPC title in late 1998, he was contacted again by the SRU and the siblings headed north.
"When I came to Scotland, I didn't know what to expect and I probably worried more than Martin did," he said. "But Scotland had a good squad, both on the park and off it too, and they welcomed us both in.
"When you think about it now it was some back line to become a part of – Gregor Townsend, Alan Tait, Kenny Logan and Cammie Murray, complemented by Glenn Metcalfe at full-back, and, of course, the junkyard dog himself, Gary Armstrong, who was such a great leader; someone we loved playing for.
"The forwards had the experience of Paul Burnell, Eric Peters and Stu Reid, Budge Pountney of course, and great young guys coming through, Tom Smith, Gordon Bulloch, Steve Brotherstone, then Stuart Grimes and Scott Murray.
"It was a good environment, a bit like New Zealand – Jim Telfer encouraged everyone to have an opinion and contribute. We clicked very well as a team in 1999 mainly because we had guys who all wanted to play for each other.
"And that's the thing about any successful team, particularly in Scotland. There was flair in that squad, but the flair guys were also prepared to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in, and that's what made the difference I think. When you get that blend, Scotland can be very dangerous. I had an absolute great time and feel very privileged to have been a part of that time."
Scotland were 100-1 outsiders going into that championship, but the odds shortened when Leslie grasped Duncan Hodge's kick-off in the opening match against Wales and raced in behind the posts for his first try and the championship's quickest, dotting down in just nine seconds.
"It was a great, maybe lucky start, but we played good footy against Wales and England – we were unlucky to lose by three points at Twickenham – then beat Italy at home pretty well with three backs tries and played well against Ireland (30-13], so went to France full of confidence. "That was a special day, but even though we won well with some great tries, we still needed Wales to beat England for us to win the championship, and not many reckoned that would happen. But Scott Gibbs became our great hero and we had a great party with about 10,000 fans at Murrayfield, I remember, on the Monday night."
But Leslie's time in Scotland was not without its down slopes, and he admits, his mood dropping, that the memory of captaining the side is still tinged with regret. "It started with injury in the 1999 World Cup," he recalled. "I can still remember running on to a beautiful chip-kick by Gregor (Townsend] over the South African defence in the game at Murrayfield, seeing the ball bouncing for me and the line just metres away, when someone landed on my back. I went down and something in my ankle popped.
"I was lying there in agony trying to keep the ball, trying to get to the line, but it wouldn't happen. I think we might have beaten them if we'd scored then, but I was stretchered off, we lost by a bit, and that was the start of a long haul.
"I got rushed back for the next Six Nations and was made captain. I suffered a badly bruised hip and had to come off in the first game, in Italy, we lost and I had to face the media.
"It was an incredible honour to be named Scotland captain, but it was very controversial for a lot of people, and when I couldn't contribute as I wanted to I found it hard. You get ups and downs in rugby, but what really hurt was the criticism – I got "wasn't giving my all", or "wasn't showing pride in the jersey", they said.
"I tried to play (he started against France and Wales], but we lost and the team didn't perform – the only win we got was in the last game against England. I've always been quite serious and introverted about my rugby. I say what I have to when I'm with players, when necessary, but as captain you have all the public stuff to deal with too.
"I was asked lots of questions, but I felt it wasn't for me to tell Scottish rugby what to do – I was captain of a team, not in charge of the whole of Scottish rugby. But some people took that as me not caring about the team, and wrote that I wasn't passionate about Scotland or rugby, and that hurt.
"It doesn't matter anymore," he says, the more jocular Leslie returning. "I had some great times in Scotland, and I still feel passionate when I see the guys out there at a full Murrayfield.
"No-one should underestimate Scotland. When we played in 1999 we went out with confidence and belief in ourselves and one another, and if the guys do that this weekend, at Murrayfield they could go out and bowl the All Blacks over."
As Scotland bid to end a 103-year wait for victory over New Zealand, Leslie's excitement comes from watching the growth of his son and daughter. Of course, being born in Melrose, if eight-year-old Jack was to play for the All Blacks one day he would be another overseas-born player. The connections between two proud nations are not likely to end soon.
