Scottish Rugby
Scotland's oldest cap salutes current team
Scrum.com
November 7, 2008
Former Scotland international Mac Henderson with current internationals Allan Jacobsen, Mike Blair, Jim Hamilton and Jason White. November 6, 2008
Former Scotland international Mac Henderson poses with current internationals Allan Jacobsen, Mike Blair, Jim Hamilton and Jason White © Getty Images
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Scotland's oldest cap has visited Murrayfield to wish the current team good luck for their international against New Zealand tomorrow.

Mac Henderson, a sprightly 101-years-old, hopes his 100% winning record in a Scotland jersey can inspire his countrymen. Henderson, the first of Scotland's 1010 internationalists to become a centenarian, was a guest of the Scotland team and watched yesterday's training session at Murrayfield with members of his family.

He was capped three times for Scotland in the back five of the pack against Wales, England and Ireland in 1933, Scotland winning all three games. But New Zealand holds a special place in his affections too as he farmed on a sheep station in the North Island.

He recalled: "I worked on a sheep station in Hawke's Bay and half-way through a rugby season I was sent from one sheep station to another."

Henderson played for the Waipukarau club in Hawke's Bay and made quite an impression as a hard-tackling flanker. "An official said he would eat his hat if I wasn't selected for Hawke's Bay but it was then I moved to another sheep station," he explained.

Born in Tranent and educated at Edinburgh Academy, Henderson, who also farmed in East Lothian, spent time yesterday with another product of that Capital school, Scotland captain Mike Blair.

Henderson added: "I don't know if Scotland will win but I did see England beat New Zealand when I went down from Edinburgh in 1936 and saw Obolensky score that extraordinary try."

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