Obituary: David Malcolm Rollitt

David Malcolm Rollitt was educated at Barnsley Holgate Grammar School, and he played for both Barnsley and Wakefield while still at school. He came to Bristol to read physics at the University, and while he was in residence, he was a member of the Bristol University side which won the UAU Championship in 1962. He also represented Western Counties against New Zealand at Bristol in 1963 while still a student. After leaving Bristol he trained as a teacher at Loughborough Colleges. He appeared on a winning side for Loughborough against Bristol, before returning to the city to take up an appointment teaching mathematics at Colston’s School.

Dave Rollitt made his Bristol debut against Metropolitan Police on Easter Tuesday 1964. He was awarded his cap in 1966 and his blazer two years later. In total he made 415 first team appearances, scoring 101 tries. In the 1965-66 season he scored what was then a club record for a forward of 20 tries in a season. He was appointed captain in 1969-70 and continued in this role the following season. Anxious to concentrate on developing his own game, he was instrumental in having Peter Colston appointed as the club’s first official coach, and the pair worked superbly together in moulding what was to become a great Bristol side in the early 1970s. In 1973 he was a member of the first Bristol side to reach a Twickenham cup final.

An unforgettable figure on the rugby field with his prematurely white hair and his all-action style of play, Dave Rollitt was speedy in attack and a superb tackler in defence. He was also supremely fit and adopted a ‘professional’ attitude to training and fitness in an era when such an approach was not always encouraged. He featured in numerous England trials but was capped just eleven times by his country, a ludicrously small number for a man with his talents. Many felt that he would have made a brilliant England captain. He made his England debut against Ireland in 1967, retaining his place for the entire Five Nations Championship before going on England’s tour of Canada. He was then mysteriously overlooked until 1969, when he won a further four caps and scored a brilliant try against France, scooping the ball up in one hand before powering over the line. Unbelievably, he won no further caps after this until 1975, when he played against Scotland before winning his final two caps on England’s tour of Australia. He had previously been considered as a possible candidate to captain England in South Africa in 1972, but he was not allowed to tour as Colston’s School disapproved of sporting ties with an apartheid regime.

David was a regular player for Gloucestershire, making 73 appearances in total, often as captain, and featuring in six County Championship finals. He also made sixteen appearances for the Barbarians. He was a member of the Western Counties side which defeated Australia at Bristol in 1967 and played for the South & South West Counties team which beat Australia at Bath in 1973. He captained Western Counties at Bristol in a drawn game against South Africa in 1969, and he also led Western Counties to victory against Fiji at Gloucester in 1970. In 1971 the South & South West played an RFU President’s XV in Bristol as part of the RFU’s Centenary celebrations, and David was again captain for this match. He also faced New Zealand in Bristol as a member of the South of England XV in 1967, and he played for Western Counties against Australia, again at the Memorial Ground, in 1975.

Dave Rollitt’s final Bristol home game was a disappointingly heavy defeat to Gloucester in April 1977, but his last match of all for the club was a few weeks later when Selection Bassin were beaten on a tour of France. After this he left the city to take up a post at St Paul’s School in London. He played for Richmond for two seasons and also appeared for Middlesex, before coaching at both club and representative level in the London and South East area. He also featured as a guest player for Zebre in 1978. His son, Eben, was a Bristol player in the 1990s.

David kept in close touch with many of his former Bristol colleagues. He frequently attended reunions and was most recently seen back in May when there was a gathering to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the club’s great 1971-72 season. He will always be acknowledged as a Bristol Legend, and the sincere sympathy of all at Bristol Bears goes to his family and friends at this very sad time.