Life @ EA

This is a series of 30-minute interviews are with Accies who have been prominent in the world of sport, either on or off the field of play. Throughout the interviews, we will hear about the skills and life lessons they learned at the Edinburgh Academy to help them succeed in their chosen sports role. Whether as a player, a coach, a writer or an administrator, all will reflect on school life in and out of the classroom and their journey through sport as a career. 
 

Series interviewer, Charles Runcie, was a pupil at the Academy, starting in Miss McKenzie’s Prep 4C at Arboretum Road in 1966, through to Mr Robertson’s VIII Mod class at Henderson Row, a decade later. He enjoyed a 34 year career working in sport at the BBC, joining at Radio Scotland’s Queen Margaret Drive in 1982 before heading south in 1987 to Broadcasting House and BBC Sport. He was latterly Head of Sport for English Regions, a role which as a Scot he always thought quite ironic. 
 

The subject of this interview, the fifth in our series, is our most-decorated EA rugby player Rodger Arneil.  A Borderer who captained all his teams at school, he went on to excel for Edinburgh Accies for seven seasons from 1962-69 before moving south to play for top sides Leicester and Northampton.  Arneil was capped 22 times by Scotland between 1968-72, plus went on tours to South African in 1968 and New Zealand in 1971 with the British and Irish Lions.  Never a player to give an inch, his back row rivalry with fellow Scot Jim Telfer was a lively one.  He begins our interview by recalling how he got involved in the sport.

Next in the series will be Hockey Player Jasmine Banks.

If you missed the last episode with Bradley Forbes-Cryans, you can view it here.