1974 British Lions ....

[Clarets4me]

The 1974 Lions played the first match of their 22 game, 3 month unbeaten tour of South Africa, 45 years ago this week ..... won the Test Series 3 - 0, with one match drawn ....

lions-invincibles.jpg (106.6 KiB) Viewed 912 times

[Burnley Ace]

That was a proper tour!!

[andyh]

Wales + a smattering of hangers on .

[Clarets4me]

Once the Test team emerged, it actually only had 6 Welsh players, despite their dominance during the 1970's ..... mind you, what players, JPR Williams, JJ Williams, Phil Bennett, Gareth Edwards, Mervyn Davies and Bobby " The Duke " Windsor ...

Scotland provided four ... Andy Irvine, Ian McGeechan, Ian " mighty mouse " McLauchlan and the late Gordon Brown ..... Ireland three ... Dick Millican, Fergus Slattery and the legend that is Willie John McBride .... whilst England povided Fran Cotton and Roger Uttley.

Both New Zealand & South Africa traditionally respected British back play, but always supected the forwards were a bit " soft ", and for years, tried to rough up Lions forwards, in games prior to the Tests. Eastern Transvaal tried this before the first Test, in 1974 and came off second best .....

The Lions pack scrummaged the Springboks off the park, and could certainly look after themselves ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9Dg9CC_DQ

and boy, could they play ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1eOyKyd5p0

[Tricky Trevor]

deleted. Already posted.

[evensteadiereddie]

There was a superb documentary about this tour, I think, which highlighted how if the Boks were becoming a little brutal - as they were wont to do - the Lions captain would shout out "99" or something like that and it was your duty, as a Lion, to thump the nearest Springbok to you no matter what.
I think it was the big Irish lad, McBride, who asked the hotel manager , "Will there be many of them ?" when he was told the police would be sent for after tables and chairs were set alight in the team's hotel dining room.
Not to be condoned, of course, but pretty impressive.

[Clarets4me]

According to one player, Willie John McBride called a team meeting at the hotel , which was surrounded by " stop the tour " protestors, shortly before they flew to South Africa, his speech was along these lines..

" This will be my 5th and last Lions Tour, there are many who don't think we should tour. If you have any doubts in your mind, please leave now, I shall think no worse of you. Don't come to me after a week, or a month because once we set foot on that plane, we need everyone committed to one aim, winning this Test series. Once we arrive, their Referees will give us little by way of protection, the rugby will be hard and brutal, they will stop at nothing to win, you will be kicked, punched and stamped upon and we must meet fire with fire "

No-one budged, although one or two of the backs looked nervously at each other. The silence was broken by Bobby Windsor, the Pontypool hooker in his strong West Walian accent, who shouted " I don't know about you boys, but I'm gonna f*****g love this !! "

[fatboy47]

[quote="Clarets4me"]Once the Test team emerged, it actually only had 6 Welsh players, despite their dominance.


Wales finished 3rd out of the 5 nation's in the 1974 home internationals.

Behind Ireland, and, I think, Scotland.

Just saying like.