John Pullin obituary: An England captain of great honour and powerful actions
England rugby captain John Pullin holding a sheep on his sheep farm in Gloucestershire, England, in June 1972. Photo by Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Inside his heavily guarded room at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin one Saturday evening 48 years ago on Wednesday, John Pullin reminded himself that he had another losing speech to make.
For a man who shunned the limelight at the best of times and believed in actions speaking far louder than words, having to spout some platitudes over a failed mission felt almost as bad as losing the match. As captain of England, Pullin had not suffered from any lack of practice.
