My Life in Rugby: Mike Bulpitt – former Blackheath and England back

Easter tours to Wales with the Barbarians were absolutely amazing experiences and the games came thick and fast. Playing four games in four days didn’t do us any harm on the 1970 tour when we defeated Penarth and then beat Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, all very good sides at the time, between March 27-30.
I loved it because I got my hands on the ball a lot more than I did at club level due to the way the Barbarians played the game and I scored two tries against Cardiff and one against Newport. I also toured the following year, which wasn’t quite so successful, and made nine appearances in total.
My experience with the Barbarians more than offset my disappointment at not being able to add to my one England cap, against Scotland in 1970.
I would love to have had a few more but as everyone repeatedly says to me, at least you got one. There are a number of people who knocked on the door for England but never got a chance. I remember the night Albert Agar, the chairman of the England selectors, had left a message for me to ring him. I was amazed when I heard the news that I’d been selected. It was midnight, but we all went round to my parents’ for a champagne party.
By that stage I was playing on the wing for Blackheath, having been a centre during my early days at Chelmsford, Osterley and the ‘Club’. When I broke into the first XV at Blackheath, around 1967/68, it was my captain Simon Clarke who suggested I move to the wing. I suppose he thought I didn’t pass very well!
Blackheath were among English club rugby’s elite at the time and had a top class fixture list. While there I played for London Counties against the South Africa and New Zealand touring sides.
The 1969/70 Boks tour was met with mass anti-apartheid protests. Many, many years later I learnt that our long-time, next-door neighbour was one of the people who’d invaded the pitch during the game at Twickenham! Against the All Blacks, I had to mark Brian Williams – a nightmare to tackle. Gerald Davies was an equally tough opponent but for different reasons. I remember him dancing his way past me during a Blackheath-Cambridge University match, and saying, ‘that’ll teach you, Bulpitt’.
My England debut against Scotland came in the penultimate round of the 1970 Five Nations. I was called upon because Keith Fielding had picked up a knock and I don’t think his replacement, Martin Hale, had covered himself in glory against Wales.
We were due to fly up to Edinburgh which, back then, was quite a thrill. Unfortunately, thick fog meant that didn’t go ahead and we travelled by train instead. I remember us going through our pre-match warm up in the Murrayfield car park. The match itself was a bit of a blur but, unfortunately for me, I do remember being caught from behind by Scotland’s goal-kicking lock Peter Brown. In fairness to me, I wasn’t in full flight! John Spencer also scored a fantastic try in a 14-5 defeat.
I was also fortunate to tour Ceylon, twice, the second time when the country was changing its name to Sri Lanka, and I played in Germany, against the Army, and in New York.
By ‘73/74, retirement was beckoning and I wasn’t enjoying my rugby so much so I took a year out of the game. But then Phil Keith-Roach, my captain at Eastern Counties, persuaded me to join Rosslyn Park. Playing with the likes of Andy Ripley, it was impossible not to fall in love with rugby again especially as we made the final of the first-ever John Player Knockout Cup.
*As told to Jon Newcombe