Scrivens, Nigel

Nigel Scrivens was born on 12 October 1957 in Cirencester. He was the kind of forward every club needs. He did all the essential work around the scrums and line-outs and contributed manfully around the field. He was unspectacular but was remarkably consistent. Every game you knew what to expect – second row forward play of the highest standard. He gave 100% every time he took the field.

Nigel first played for his home town club, Cirencester, before first appearing for Gloucester as a replacement against Coventry on 11 September 1982. He made his first start a couple of weeks later, on 29 September against Maesteg. Later that season, on 27 December against Old Merchant Taylors he scored two tries in an overwhelming 70-0 win, which proved to be the last game Gloucester played against the O.M.Ts. Nigel made 17 appearances that season, but he would find it difficult to break into the first fifteen because John Orwin, Steve Boyle and John Brain were already regular choices in the second row, so he had several seasons alternating between First and Second XV appearances.

It was not until 1986-87 that he became an automatic choice, forging fruitful partnerships with John Brain and John Etheridge, and later the emerging Dave Sims.

Season 1989-90 was an outstanding one for Gloucester, and Nigel appeared in every league and cup game played. Come the final league game, all Gloucester had to do was win at Nottingham, and the title was theirs. For whatever reason, they never got going and lost 3-12. No matter, the following week was the Pilkington Cup Final against Bath, and that would be an opportunity to win something. Unfortunately, that game was a disaster and Bath won 48-6.

On 16th September 1991, Nigel played for Gloucester against England, in a game organised to celebrate the centenary of rugby at Kingsholm and to act as a warm-up match for the Rugby World Cup. Gloucester stayed in it for an hour, edged it in the scrums, and, “lock forwards Nigel Scrivens and Dave Sims held their own against Nigel Redman and Wade Dooley in the line-out battle which England would have expected to dominate”. But England finished as comfortable winners, 34-4.

In November 1991, Nigel was in the team which won 11-6 at Cardiff. It was the first time that Gloucester had won there since 1935.

He played his final game on 25 April 1992 against Harlequins.

From 1982 to 1992 Nigel made 232 appearances for Gloucester, and scored 20 tries. The league system started in 1987-88 and hel featured in 48 games over five seasons, and scored three tries. He played once for Gloucestershire against Monmouthshire in September 1984.

Nigel played for London Welsh in the 1992-93 season. Stuart Barnes of Bath and England said of him, “He’s a tough man and a decent man.”