The Wales Grand Slam winner had been glued to his television to watch the documentary of the dramatic series victory which was sealed by a late Jeremy Guscott drop goal.
Gough only had to wait until his second cap to test himself against his rugby idol on the international stage, but a rude awakening lay in wait at Murrayfield in 1999.
Wales fell behind to Weir’s Scotland as John Leslie scored straight from the kick-off, but stormed into a 13-8 half-time lead thanks to a Scott Gibbs try and the boot of Neil Jenkins.
Weir had the last laugh, though, as he was at the heart of a Scotland comeback that saw them run in three scores on the way to a 33-20 win.
“When I grew up Doddie was a hero. I remember watching the Lions video in 1997 and he was one of the characters of that tour to South Africa,” said Gough, who won 64 caps for Wales.
“I grew up watching that video. To actually play against him in my second cap was amazing. It was the first time I played against him.
“When you looked at the team sheet he was one of the stars and someone you looked up to as you were growing up. It added a bit of beef to the game as well.
“He’s a fantastic bloke and he was a great player. Off the pitch he was a hell of a character and great fun to be around.
“He was very consistent and a very good line-out forward. The likes of Scott Murray were around at that time as well. Scotland had a formidable line-out and it was a worry going into the game because you knew how potent both of them were. Scott was an ex-basketball player who had great aerial skills and Doddie was the same.”
Since that day in Edinburgh in 1999, Scotland have only won four of their last 20 meetings with Wales. Warren Gatland’s men will be hoping to continue their dominance in the fixture when the Six Nations rivals raise the curtain on the 2018 Under Armour Series on November 3.
Scotland legend Weir has united the rugby world through his inspiring battle against Motor Neurone Disease. Both his former team and Wales will battle it out for the Doddie Weir Cup, raising awareness and support of his My Name’5 Doddie Foundation when they meet at Principality Stadium.
The Welsh and Scottish Rugby Unions together have committed to donating a joint six-figure sum from the proceeds of the game, with the associated visibility for the fight against Motor Neurone Disease also providing an invaluable contribution.
“People like Doddie bring the rugby fraternity together and we are all brothers in arms,” said Gough. “It’s a fantastic game and it sums up everything rugby embodies. If one of us is struggling, it goes right the way throughout the game and right the way around the world.
“If one of us is struggling, we all step in and do what we can to help.
“Doddie is going through his illness and his struggles at the moment, but the fact everybody is supporting him and raising as much money, awareness and support as possible for his cause just shows rugby in the light it should be shown.
“It’s a great team sport where everybody stays friends. I’ve seen Doddie a few times at some military dinners I’ve gone to and he’s always dressed very brightly and flamboyantly.
“He’s a legend of a bloke and everything people are doing for him is much appreciated right now throughout the rugby ranks.”
