1974 lions tour results

The Legendary (and Violent) 1974 British & Irish Lions Tour of South Africa

• March 25, 2020
• Ultimate Rugby

The 70s: a decade largely remembered for questionable hairstyles, economic uncertainty, social upheaval and the Bee Gees. In rugby terms, however, it was the stage of one of the most controversial sporting series in history; the 1974 Lions tour to South Africa.

Under the apartheid regime, South Africa had gradually cultivated a reputation for itself as an international pariah.

Many of the British public and their leaders were fundamentally opposed to the tour going ahead, though it did materialise, albeit under fiery circumstances.

The Lions were captained by the legendary Willie-John McBride and boasted other revered names among their ranks such as Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams, Phil Bennett, Ian McGeechan, Fergus Slattery and JJ Williams.

McBride was well aware of the daunting task ahead of the team – the Springboks had never lost a series on home soil before – and it was imperative to him that they were all on the same page when he sat his players down before they departed.

“I said, ‘I’m going to South Africa...I have one objective: to win the series...it’s nothing to do with politics, as far as I’m concerned, nothing. If anybody has any doubt about going on this tour, the door is open. Please leave now. Don’t come to me in a week, don’t come to me tomorrow, don’t come to me in three weeks, because you’re no use to this team if you have the slightest doubt and you’re certainly no use to me,’” McBride recalls, “Nobody moved. And I said, ‘Okay, we now are on the road.’”  

The first significant game of the tour was against Eastern Province- then tough customers in the South African provincial scene – who were led by the Springbok captain, Hannes Marais.

With the tensions electric off the field, it was inevitable that violence would rear its head on it, and the Lions were prepared.

At the shout of McBride’s famous “99” call, the men in red swarmed with steely aggression and clenched fists, administering brutal  beatings on any opposition player who dared antagonise one of their own. The Lions had made a statement, in no uncertain terms, that their days of being bullied by the burly Afrikaners were over and the spirit of the tour was forged.

Lions  28 – 14  Eastern Province.

McBride’s charges marched on to Newlands to take on giants Western Province one week before the first test at the same venue and emerged 17 – 8 victors, as yet unbeaten on the tour.

The Springboks took on their rivals at a wet and muddy Newlands on the 8 th of June and were defeated 12-3, the first Lions victory at that venue since 1938.

“It [the victory] gave everybody that tremendous feeling that we were dominant and we were believing in ourselves.” said McBride.

The road to the second test saw the Lions despatch the Southern Universities XV (26-4), Transvaal (23-15) and Rhodesia (42-6) before they took the field in Pretoria.

The team bus pulled up to Loftus Versveld with its occupants in full song – belting out the rousing lyrics of Flower Of Scotland and revelling in a spirit of confidence which manifested on the field of play.

“When we got off that bus and into the dressing room, we knew that something special was going to happen that day.” former Lions lock Gordon Brown recounts.

Brown was right, and the Lions were dominant, winning the second test 28-9 in front of a shocked crowd to go up 2-0 in the series.

The 13 th of July 1974 saw the sides clash in the vital third test, again, in Port Elizabeth.

The Springboks, now desperate for victory blasted out of the tunnel onto the field like green bullets from a gun, a tongue-lashing from the Minister of Sport in the dressing room still ringing in their ears. What transpired was the most brutal, violent game of the tour, “Fitting more for the boxing ring,” a commentator quipped. At the final whistle the players left the blood-stained pitch with the scoreboard reading 26-9 in the Lion’s favour and McBride’s men were forever etched in history.

The fourth and final test ended in a 13-13 draw, but the writing was already on the wall; that the Springboks had been out-played and out-fought, suffering their first ever home series defeat to a Lions team that would go down as one of the greatest in the tradition.

The Lions returned home unbeaten, having played 22 games, winning 21 and drawing 1, scarring the pride of the Springbok jersey.

As we look towards the tour of 2021, the mouth waters at the prospect of the now world champion South Africans taking on the best of Britain and Ireland in another clash of physicality and flair.

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From The Vaults

Rugby history beckoned at Ellis Park, Johannesburg on Saturday July 27 th 1974. The British Lions were playing the 22 nd and final match of their tour and they had won all their previous matches. Only the 1891 British tourists had a superior record, having won all 19 matches on their tour including the first three tests played between these great adversaries. The 1974 test series was already wrapped up 3-0 and the Lions had only to win this final test to set a record that would probably never be equalled and could never be surpassed.

Looking back forty five years later, it can be seen that the 1974 Lions contained some of the greatest players in rugby history. Led by the inspirational Irish second row forward, Willie John McBride, other luminaries of this remarkable side were full back JPR Williams, the sprint champion JJ Williams on the wing, the half-back pair Phil Bennett and Gareth Edwards and the No 8 Mervyn Davies from Wales; the centre Ian McGeechan, the prop Ian McLauchlan ('Mighty Mouse') and the converted full back Andy Irvine on the wing from Scotland; the marauding Irish flanker Fergus Slattery and the formidable English forwards Fran Cotton and Roger Uttley. So strong was the touring party that players of the calibre of the Irishmen Mike Gibson and Tom Grace and the rangy English No 8 Andy Ripley were unable to gain selection for any of the tests.

Andy Irvine (Photo by Allsport UK /Allsport)

The Lions were firm favourites to win. They used only 17 players in the four tests and had made just one enforced change from their victorious 3 rd test side. The charismatic Scottish second row forward Gordon Brown, source of much of the Lions' line-out ball and a try scorer in both the 2 nd and 3 rd tests, had broken his hand in an altercation during the 3 rd test and was replaced by the Englishman Chris Ralston. The lack of international competition since 1972 had hit South Africa hard and the Springboks had already used 31 players over the three tests. Their selectors made only three changes including one new cap in the starting line-up for this final test. Although not a vintage era for South African rugby adversely affected by the sporting isolation caused by their government's apartheid policies, there were nevertheless some fine players in a side captained by their long-serving prop Hannes Marais who had won his 1 st cap back against the Wallabies in August 1963. 75,000 spectators packed the rafters at Ellis Park and witnessed one of the most compelling and contentious test matches of the 1970s. After Jackie Snyman, Springbok fly half, had opened the scoring with a penalty goal, Roger Uttley was awarded a controversial try by the referee Max Baise when he dived on a ball that had gone loose at the back of the Springbok scrum. Television replays were to show that Chris Pope, the Springbok right wing, had touched down first. Phil Bennett converted that try for a 6-3 lead which was cancelled out by Jackie Snyman's second penalty goal shortly afterwards. The Lions scored next after a blind side break by Gareth Edwards led to a try by Andy Irvine on the right wing. Phil Bennett missed the conversion but the Lions went into half-time leading by 10 points to 6.

Gareth Edwards (left) and Phil Bennett (Photo by Allsport UK /Allsport)

The second half was nearly twenty minutes old when the Springboks finally broke the defence of the Lions. After a long line-out throw, the wing forwards Chris Grobler and the veteran Jan Ellis secured the ball which went down the three-quarter line to Chris Pope on the right wing. One of the few Springbok players to play in all four tests, Pope was a powerful runner and this was his first real opportunity of the series. He powered past the Lions defence and, on reaching JPR Williams just short of the tryline, threw the ball infield. The Lions defence failed to clear and the centre Peter Cronje picked the ball up and threw himself over the tryline for the Springboks' first and only try of the series. The Lions had already scored ten tries in the series so, not surprisingly, the crowd went wild. Jackie Snyman missed the conversion but he soon kicked a third penalty goal to give South Africa a 13-10 lead with ten minutes to go. The final minutes of this test were dramatic in the extreme. Andy Irvine kicked a crucial penalty to make the score 13-13 and then a superb break by Jackie Snyman failed to provide the Springboks with the winning try when their experienced left winger Gert Muller overran the ball with the try line at his mercy. Shortly afterwards JPR Williams made a powerful run into the Springboks 25 and was stopped just short of the try line. He managed to release the ball which was picked up by the supporting Fergus Slattery who drove for the Springbok line. He crossed it to the left of the posts but was tackled head on by Cronje who managed to prevent Slattery touching the ball down immediately. It has never been disputed that Slattery did get the ball down, but the referee who had positioned himself in goal behind the players was unsighted at the crucial moment and he disallowed the try and awarded a five-yard scrum instead. The Lions protested furiously but to no avail and subsequent analysis of the television footage suggested that the referee had been correct. The Lions failed to profit from the ensuing five-yard scrum after which Max Baise blew his whistle and signalled the end of a test and a test series packed with controversy. The legend of Springbok invincibility at home had been punctured and never again would visiting sides feel that they had little or no chance to win a series in South Africa.

Willie John McBride is the first off the plane at Heathrow Airport, at the end of a successful tour of South Africa, 30th July 1974. (Photo by Dennis Oulds/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

• The British & Irish Lions - Clem Thomas and Greg Thomas (Vision Sports Publishing 2016)
• Statistical History of Springbok Rugby - Teddy Shnaps (Don Nelson Publishers 1989)
• The Unbeaten Lions - John Reason (Rugby Books, London 1974)
• Undefeated -Rhodri Davies (Y Lolfa 2014)
• When the Lions came to town - Luke Alfred (Zebra Press 2014)

About the Author - A professional musician and arts administrator, Richard Steele has had a life-long love of sport. He has been on the committee of the World Rugby Museum at Twickenham since 2005.

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1974 South Africa

• Updated: 6th June 2012

Three years after triumphing in New Zealand the Lions faced a much stiffer test in facing a South African side who had not lost a test series that century.

The tour was a magnificent success with the tourists setting achievement after achievement by winning the series 3-0 and not losing a single game on tour.

The tour captained by legends Syd Millar and Willie John McBride, saw the Lions defeat the Boks by taking them on where their main strength lay in the forwards. By setting a platform for the backs to operate, the Lions runners attacked at will and with great success.

Despite the Lions attacking prowess the first test was won in desperate conditions with the Lions edging it 12-3. The Lions did regain their superiority in the second though, running in five tries with two from JJ Williams.

The third test however is now legendary for what was to happen on the pitch. The Lions knew what was coming with the selection of a bruising Number 8 at Scrum Half and it was there that the legendary Lions call of “99” was born where each Lion would immediately punch the nearest member of the opposition they could! The Lions emerged unbothered though and clinched the match and series by 26-9.

The final match ended in a 13-13 draw and therefore ended the first tour to South Africa in the 20th century that the Lions remained unbeaten in possibly the greatest Lions tour ever.

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When not writing articles about the latest issues surrounding the game, Ben spends his time worrying about the fortunes of his beloved Saracens. Ben is responsible for overseeing all output from the L-T.com team and often can't help himself from adding his own take on the issues of the day and has to pen his own article to stick his two-penneth in. Ben also runs our travel section and is a font of all knowledge about the tours having travelled as a tourist on all three tours. He can tell you everything you need to know about touring with the British & Irish Lions from how to get there and where to stay, to where you can hang around to spot the players and where you can get the best steaks in town...! Email Ben - [email protected]

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Battle of Boet Erasmus, '99' and The Invincibles: The Lions' 1974 tour to South Africa - revisited

There are many reasons why the '74 Lions are in the history books as the most successful rugby side ever - perhaps, even, in any sport

It was spring 1974 in the northern suburbs of Leeds. Judy McGeechan was keeping a close eye on the stop-watch. Her husband, Ian, was pounding his way round the Horsforth cricket ground, laps of 400 metres. Then it was The Hill. 15-20 short sprints followed by 600 metre up-and-down long sprints. The next day is was the same, all bar the timings which Ian McGeechan looked to better. Day after day, just as soon as he had finished his shift as a geography and PE teacher at Firtree Middle School, it continued.

McGeechan’s dedication to the cause was typical. In amateur times, his attitude was professional. He was not alone. All around the isles, 30 of the home unions’ finest were getting in shape, in their own ways and in their time, unseen and unscripted. It was hard yakka but it paid off. McGeechan went from 11 and a half stone to 12st 3lbs through constant conditioning as well as "steak for breakfast, lunch and dinner when in South Africa," while prop, Fran Cotton, added an extra two inches to his neck size (already XXXL status) through "scrum after scrum after scrum in training".

There was a cost, metaphorical as much as literal. McGeechan had to suspend his mortgage. Others were forced to take leave of absence with no pay. The £2.50 daily allowance did not stretch that far albeit one player did confide that the squad-orchestrated selling of their quota of match-day tickets did contribute to his first family Austin Maxi on returning home. There were compensations, quite apart from the sense of sporting fulfilment to be derived from scaling such peaks. “There was as much Castle Lager booze and Rothmans fags as you could consume in every dressing-room,” reports one, while McGeechan recalls the touring party "being met at Bloemfontein airport by a stream of vintage cars that took us, two in each vehicle, all the way into town past packed crowds as if we were film stars". Extra-curricular safari flights in classic Dakotas to the Kruger Park were also on the schedule.    

There are many reasons as to why the 1974 British and Irish Lions party in South Africa are in the history books as the most successful side ever, perhaps in any sport. P22 W21 D1 (the disputed fourth Test), a benchmark that takes some betterment and which is statistical Test evidence that this was the high-water mark for British and Irish rugby following their success in New Zealand three years earlier. First the All Blacks, then the Springboks, the equivalent of Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano being laid out flat on the canvas, champs dethroned by the knockout blows from the Lions.  

There is no doubt that the essence of the tour is encapsulated in the '99 one-in, all-in' that indicates the togetherness of that group, an unbreakable spirit that was forged by the oratory and leadership of their captain, Willie John McBride.

'Gentlemen, if you have any doubts about going, I want you to leave the room'

“Before we had even left the country, we were gathered in the Churchill Hotel just near Marble Arch and outside we could hear the anti-apartheid demonstrations in full flow,” recalls England’s Roger Uttley. “Willie spoke and you could hear a pin drop. ‘Gentlemen. If you have any doubts about going on this tour, I want you to be big enough to stand up now and leave the room. I have been to South Africa before and there is going to be a lot of intimidation, a lot of cheating. So if you’re not up for a fight, there’s the door.’ No one moved. I can still remember the silence and the hairs on the back of the neck rising.”

Pride in physicality is deep-rooted in a race that defines itself on defence of the homeland, an obligation that is seen as a definition of their manhood. For 1974, read every successive Springbok generation right through to the World Cup triumph of Siya Kolisi’s side in Japan 20 months ago.

“South Africans take every opportunity to bully you,” said Cotton, later to be manager of the successful 1997 Lions tour to that country. “You can’t give them an inch. (Wales hooker) Bobby Windsor stood up at our first forwards meeting in South Africa, looked us all in the eye and asked: ‘Am I going to see your face or your back when it all starts?’”

The Churchill Hotel speech had set the tone and had a suitably theatrical affirmation in the aftermath of the series-clinching 26-9 victory in Port Elizabeth, when South Africa’s rugby supremo, Danie Craven, handed out ceremonial blazers in the Ostrich Hall to the six Springboks debutants, saying: “It hurts me to be giving you these because you have not earned them.”

From the Lions came the physical blows, from their own administrators came the wounding put-downs. It was not all about macho face-offs although that was the prime point of confrontation. The 1971 Lions stunned Kiwis with the individual brilliance of their Carwyn James-coached play, bound up in the George Best-like genius of fly-half Barry John. It is not completely wrong to depict the enforcers of the 1974 tour as hard-nosed Ying to that free-wheeling Yang but it is only right to record the piercing attacking skills of the likes of (the late) JJ Williams who turned the tide in that all-important third Test with a brace of quick-witted tries, an ace finisher that shredded defences all around the country as testified by his six-try haul in the 97-0 win over South West Districts. Who might gainsay either the sublime partnership of Gareth Edwards and Phil Bennett at half-back, productive and penetrating at every turn? 107 tries scored on the tour, only 13 conceded. It was the first series the Springboks had lost at home that century with the most points ever conceded. That is a ledger of account that brooks no argument.

There was a resilience in the ranks that was forged through that McBride call-to-arms with protestors outside and a foreign foe to encounter thousands of miles to the south. Politics provided a restless backdrop to the tour although there seemed to be more universal acclaim when the Lions arrived back at Heathrow following their three-month odyssey. How unusual for politicians to attach themselves to the coat-tails of glory.

Robben Island, Mandela, and a communities cheering the opponents

The Lions’ popularity was not confined to British and Irish cohorts. There is a wonderfully evocative photograph of the support for the Lions from the black and Cape Coloured communities as JJ Williams touches down in the corner of the Boet Erasmus Stadium in the history-making third Test, the fans in the fenced-in area of the ground erupting as the wing scored. Several hundred miles away on Robben Island it is said that Nelson Mandela had his ear tuned to radio reports of the Springboks’ downfall.

“It was completely their right to cheer for the opposing team,” said back-row forward, Morne du Plessis, who was to become one of the most revered of Springbok captains in the wake of that series, leading the team right through those years to the victorious 1980 campaign against Bill Beaumont’s Lions, later also to be manager to the 1995 World Cup-winning team. “We are a complex mix of cultures and dynamics with different shades of mankind and we have to live with that. It is what it was back then. It was completely understandable even if it didn’t seem palatable at the time not to be cheered on by our own people.”

There were no such fissures in the Lions camp despite the competitive desire of each of the 30 players to make the Test team. A mark of the calibre of the class of ’74 is the roll-call of those who did not play in any of the four tests – Wales flanker, Tommy David, Ireland hooker, Ken Kennedy (who doubled up as team doctor, a far-cry from the heavily-resourced back-room staff of these days), and England trio of prop, Mike Burton, flanker, Tony Neary and No 8 (the late) Andy Ripley who had come on that trip as the seemingly nailed-on Test starter after an impressive Five Nations championship. Instead it was Mervyn Davies who claimed the spot and kept it. Many years later I asked the seemingly laid-back, not-a-care-in-the-world Ripley how he felt about the selection decision, expecting some sort of even-handed reply. His eyes narrowed.

“I was beyond devastated then and I remain beyond devastated today,” said Ripley as competitive a beast that has ever set foot in a sporting arena, as his world veteran indoor rowing titles later in life were to illustrate. Ripley did at least put any down time to use, revealing that he once slipped out of camp to spend a night in Soweto with some locals he had encountered to experience the other side of South African life away from five-star hotels.  

The competition for places kept everyone on their toes and standards high right from the first sessions based at the Three Fountains Hotel in the suitably industrial backdrop of mining town, Stilfontein, up on the veldt and miles from the bright lights of Johannesburg.

“My rival for the loosehead shirt, Ian (Mighty Mouse) McLauchlan told me in that first camp that he intended to feature in all 22 games,” said Fran Cotton. “It was a challenge to me, a clear sign that he had no intention of easing up at any point. I could play both sides, though, and an injury to Burto (Mike Burton), opened things up there. The Mouse’s attitude was in us all. (Coach) Syd Millar told us what he had in mind for us as a forward pack. Scrum. And scrum. And scrum. We’d do 30 to 40 live scrums, eight against eight, in every session. It was no holds barred with frequent punch-ups. The Mouse was asked by a South African journalist at the end of the tour as to who had been the best outfit he had scrummed against, expecting the answer to be Eastern Transvaal or one of the Springbok set-ups. Mouse had no hesitation in replying: ‘Our lads in training.’ It was the best rugby I was ever involved in, a real high-point that has not been matched.”

The internal rivalry was fierce but the camaraderie was genuine. They were all in it together despite occasional appearances to the contrary. Two days before the first Test in Cape Town the team was announced with Fergus Slattery chosen ahead of Neary. “It could have been a toss-up, so close were they in ability,” said scrum-half, Gareth Edwards. “There were some great players who did not make the team.”

'We stood our ground in training. We stood our ground in matches'

Yet, there was still to be no quarter asked or given. At that Thursday session, a lineout was called to the rear. Within seconds, Neary and Slattery were scrapping on the floor.

“That’s just how it was,” said Burton. “We stood our ground in training. We stood our ground in matches.”

The Gloucester prop, no shrinking violet then (or since for that matter), admits to going on that tour with a feeling of dread.

“I just kept asking myself how we could ever hope to live up to the 1971 Lions?” said Burton. “I just couldn’t bear the thought of letting the side down. But I took great heart from being an original selection. I didn’t make the Test team but I knew I was in good company. No one on that trip ever complained. That was down to the brilliant man management of Syd and Willie John. People make fortunes these days from corporate books about building teams. Those two did it by instinct. It wasn’t big rabble-rousing stuff. Just a little word here and there. ‘Burto, you’ve got a job to do for us,’ Syd said to me once before sending me out to face another South African man-monster. You’d be scrumming in training and Syd would walk past. ‘Burto, feet.’ I had no idea what he was talking about but I’d shuffle a bit before he’d go over to watch the backs where I could hear him saying, ‘Alignment. Handling’ as if he, a forward himself, knew anything about such things. Then he would come back to the forwards where I’d gone back to my conventional positioning. ‘That’s better, Mike.’  

“But, you see, he cared. And that made you care. It was a subtle thing. We all loved them and we would be sure to never let them down. And we had to protect each other. In the build-up to the first Test we played Eastern Transvaal, not exactly a bunch of choirboys. Gareth (Edwards) was a target and they copped him one early on round a lineout. That was my fault. The next lineout I left an even bigger gap at the front. Their boy couldn’t believe it and came steaming through. I put my arm out straight and he went round and round it like a bloomin’ Catherine Wheel. He didn’t try to come through on Gareth again.”

It is facile to think that all Lions touring parties stick together. They don’t or, at best, they try but get splintered by the concerted power of the opposition. The Lions played 12 Tests on three tours in the sixties against South Africa and New Zealand and lost all 12. They were to prove formative experiences for Millar and McBride.

1971 proved different, so did this trip. The results were clear evidence of their tight-knit collective, far from home with only one phone call per week allowed, the rest of the communication coming courtesy of letters sent to PO Box 2172 and picked up at various junctures. The players enjoyed each other’s company. Uttley remembers the team bus pulling up outside Loftus Versfeld for the second Test.

The team bus erupts into 'Flower of Scotland' and an anthem is born

“(Scotland wing) Billy Steele had got us singing Flower of Scotland and we hadn’t finished, so on and on we went with it until we were done,” said Uttley. “That got us in the mood.”

An anthem was born. The Lions had their share of good fortune in avoiding significant injuries. They used only 17 players in the four-Test series, Steele giving way to the irrepressible Andy Irvine for the final two Tests while lock, Gordon ‘Broon from Troon’ Brown, a star-turn on the trip, scoring eight tries in all, two of them crucial scores in the second and third Tests, missed the final Test. Brown also featured in one of the tour’s most bizarre, and curiously heart-warming moments, after landing a haymaker in the third Test on his opposite number, Johan de Bruyne, the Orange Free State second-row who had a glass eye which flew out as Brown’s punch landed. All 30 players, as well as referee, Cas de Bruyn, got down on their hands and knees in the mud and searched for the glass eye which was eventually located. Hostilities then resumed. The Scotsman died at a young age, 51, from cancer and so famous was the anecdote that De Bruyne presented Brown’s widow with a specially-commissioned trophy complete with glass eye.   

If the Lions were settled, the Springboks were not. They featured 33 players, a sign of the panic that the Lions induced in them. Only three South Africans played in all four Tests.

“I was dropped after the second Test and rightly so,” said Du Plessis. “I was all over the place, as were a few others. It was a lean period for us and we didn’t know who we were and where we were at. It’s not that we felt we ought to have been invincible at home, albeit we did pride ourselves on our record in South Africa. What did surprise us about the Lions was the fact that they out-muscled us. It was a huge wake-up call for our rugby.”

The opening game, against Western Transvaal, laid down a marker, with the Lions winning 59-13.

“I was given an immediate start and that, for me, as a relative international newcomer, was massive,” said McGeechan. “I have never forgotten the value of that experience and took it into my coaching to get new Lions blooded as soon as possible.”

Even the tried-and-tested troupers, such as Edwards, were twitchy about wanting to get their own show on the road to soothe any nerves.

“Of course, those of us who had been to New Zealand in 1971 had a confidence about us,” said Edwards. “But the flip side of that was that the expectations on you were higher. I’d been to South Africa in ’68, remember, and knew how those guys would do everything, anything, to defend their territory. But then I would look around our dressing-room. Barry (John) had retired but Phil (Bennett) was there and he was outstanding. Willie John, of course, the forward pack who paved the way for us, JJ and then, at the rear, JPR. Why wouldn’t you have confidence?”

There was a seven game lead-in to the first Test, time to bed down combinations, a crucial exercise. Given that the entire 2021 tour comprises only eight matches in total, you do wonder quite how and why we have allowed the Lions experience to be so undermined.

Adapting to the hard grounds as well as altitude is a formative part of the preparation. Or so the theory goes. The Lions arrived in Cape Town to teeming skies and a boggy Newlands, ideal for their heavy-duty operation, duly reflected in the 12-3 scoreline, all kicks, three penalty goals from Bennett and an Edwards drop-goal.

'That backline was the best collective I’ve played with'

South Africa reacted with alarm and lack of any clarity. They made eight changes for the second Test in Pretoria and little good it did them. The Lions proved that they were far more than heavy-duty sluggers, scoring five tries through JJ Williams (2), Dick Milliken, Bennett, and Brown with Bennett adding a penalty and a conversion, McGeechan a dropped goal.

“That backline was the best collective I’ve played with,” said McGeechan. “We drilled and drilled, passed and passed, apologising if a pass was as much as an inch out.” 

And so to Port Elizabeth and what is known as the Battle of Boet Erasmus, which former Wales and Lions flanker, and no angel himself, Clem Thomas, described in a history of the tourists as “the most violent I have ever witnessed”.

The Lions won on every count.

“For 38 minutes in that first half we did nothing but defend, barely able to draw breath or even speak but one glance at your mate alongside was enough to know that you were all in it together,” said McGeechan. The Lions managed to lift the siege just before half-time, Brown diving over from a lineout to add salt to Springbok wounds. The game was up, the series was up, the 26-9 scoreline another damning indictment of South African rugby.

The final Test at Ellis Park was to end in controversy with the Lions denied what looked a try from Slattery at the death. There was no such thing as neutral officials in those days and referee Max Baise ruled against the Lions and blew for full-time with the score 13-13. Any sense of grievance by the Lions has to be balanced by this admission from Uttley.

“I didn’t, in fact, score a legitimate try myself as Springbok wing, Chris Pope, had touched the ball down before me,” confided Uttley. “I wish I had owned up years earlier and told Baise that when our paths crossed.”

Would we have thought even more of the Lions if they had had a perfect record? Probably not. They have still been acclaimed down the generations and rightly so.

“It was quite a harrowing experience at the time but looking back it is a memory to cherish in that those ’74 Lions were the greatest of teams to visit these shores,” said Du Plessis. “They gave us a drubbing. They were the best.”  

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British and Irish Lions: Willie John McBride remembers 1974 tour and gives his thoughts on how this year's squad will fare

"1974 was my Everest. This was really the pinnacle for me"; Willie John McBride captained an undefeated Lions tour of South Africa in 1974 and is confident that Alun Wyn Jones can repeat his series success in Cape Town against the current world champions

By Jack Collins

Wednesday 28 July 2021 09:10, UK

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Lions icon Willie John McBride reflects on the famous unbeaten tour of South Africa in 1974 before discussing how Warren Gatland's men will get on against the Springboks in the remainder of their ongoing Test series.

McBride is perhaps the greatest of all British and Irish Lions, having picked up a record 17 Test caps across five different tours.

His crowning moment though came in 1974 as he led 'The Invincibles' to an undefeated tour across 22 games.

"1974 was my Everest. I had been there twice before in South Africa and we'd got thrashed. I was determined as captain that we'd go back there and do a lot better," McBride stated.

"I never thought for one moment we'd come through unscathed and not lose a game. It was absolutely fantastic. This was really the pinnacle for me. It was just a dream to be captain of that team."

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The current team lead 1-0 after beating South Africa 22-17 last Saturday in the opening Test.

The Lions have the chance to seal their first series win against the Springboks since the iconic 1997 tour on Saturday, live on Sky Sports .

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McBride is optimistic the visitors will take an unassailable lead at Cape Town Stadium in the second Test, adding: "I believe that this team they have with them has all the skills that they require.

"The one thing that they've got to do is face up physically to South Africa because their game hasn't changed, it's all about the physical side.

"One of the things that worries me a little bit is I'm not convinced about their scrummage and I'm sure South Africa will have a very, very serious scrum. That worries me a little bit."

Another second row totem in the form of Alun Wyn Jones leads the current setup.

The 35-year-old, who has often been described as the heir to McBride's throne, has become the first player this century to feature in 10 Lions Tests.

The Irishman is full of praise for this year's tour skipper, saying: "I've admired him for many years.

"I'm delighted to see he's there. He's one of what I'd call the honest to God forwards of the game. He's in everything and he has tremendous strength and what's more endurance.

"He's been there, he's been there, he's been there all the time. I'm delighted for him. I hope he has a great tour."

At times, there have been questions asked as to whether the Lions format remains viable in the modern world.

However, success on the pitch over the last two tours has reinvigorated the brand and McBride is determined that the concept should never be abandoned, arguing: "There's no other game in the world where four nationalities come together.

"They can create that camaraderie which never finishes. There's that bond that never dies. It's amazing and that's what that game means to me. It really is tremendous.

"To play in a game and go out with four different nationalities who have done everything, who have sacrificed a lot and who have learnt to live with each other and respect each other, it's really terrific to be part of that.

"That is special. There's nothing more special than that in any game that is played."

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1974 British Lions tour to South Africa

In 1974, the British & Irish Lions toured South Africa, with matches in South West Africa and Rhodesia . Under the leadership of Willie John McBride , the Lions went through the tour undefeated, winning 21 of their 22 matches and being held to a draw in the final match, albeit in controversial circumstances. The 1974 squad became known as 'The Invincibles' and regarded as the greatest rugby tour in history. [1]

Apartheid backdrop and controversy

The 99 call, results summary, test matches, second test, fourth test, bibliography, external links.

The Lions tour took place against the backdrop of widespread condemnation of the apartheid regime. Under pressure from other African nations, the International Olympic Committee had excluded South Africa from competing in the Summer Games since 1964, and there had also been protests against visiting sporting teams from South Africa.

Several rugby players, like Welsh flanker John Taylor , took a stand against apartheid by making themselves unavailable for squad selection. [2] Gerald Davies declined the tour on his personal uncomfortable position at the consequences and realities of apartheid . [3] [4]

By November 1973, the United Nations had declared apartheid "a crime against humanity " [5] and in November 1974 South Africa was suspended from participating in the General Assembly. [6]

The Lions made one more tour during Apartheid (in 1980), and did not tour South Africa again until 1997 .

The test series was beset by violence. The management of the Lions unilaterally declared that in their opinion the Springboks dominated their opponents with physical aggression because of their famous size advantage, 'off the ball' and 'blind side' play. In the buildup games, and in McBride's previous tours of South Africa, provincial sides had tended to use their physical size, late tackling and dirty play to deliberately intimidate and injure Lions players prior to Test matches. McBride again saw this tactic of targeting certain players being used by the provinces in 1974, and decided that the ' 99 call ' (originally the '999 call' but it was too slow to shout out) was meant to show that the Lions were a team and would not take any more of the violence being meted out to them. It was intended to show that the Lions would act as one and fight unsporting behaviour with more of the same. The idea was that the referee would be unlikely to send off all of the Lions if they all attacked.

At the 'Battle of Boet Erasmus Stadium ', in Port Elizabeth , one of the most violent matches in rugby history, there is famous video footage of JPR Williams running over half the length of the pitch to launch himself at Moaner van Heerden after such a call. According to McBride, the 99 call was only used once, as it sent out the message that the Lions were willing and more than able to respond in kind and protect themselves.

• Manager: Alun Thomas (Wales)
• Coach: Syd Millar (Ireland)
• J.P.R. Williams ( London Welsh and Wales)
• Andy Irvine ( Heriot's FP and Scotland)
• Tom Grace ( St Mary's College RFC and Ireland)
• J.J. Williams ( Llanelli and Wales)
• William Steele ( Bedford and R.A.F. and Scotland)
• Clive Rees ( London Welsh and Wales)
• Alan Morley ( Bristol and England) as replacement
• Richard Milliken (Bangor and Ireland)
• Ian McGeechan ( Headingley and Scotland)
• Roy Bergiers ( Llanelli and Wales)
• Geoff Evans ( Coventry and England)
• Phil Bennett ( Llanelli and Wales)
• Alan Old ( Leicester and England)
• Mike Gibson ( North of Ireland FC and Ireland) as replacement

Scrum-halves

• Gareth Edwards ( Cardiff and Wales)
• John Moloney ( St. Mary's College and Ireland)
• Bobby Windsor ( Pontypool and Wales)
• Ken Kennedy ( London Irish and Ireland)
• Ian McLauchlan ( Jordanhill College RFC and Scotland)
• Sandy Carmichael ( West of Scotland and Scotland)
• Fran Cotton (Coventry and England)
• Mike Burton ( Gloucester and England)
• Willie John McBride (capt) ( Ballymena and Ireland)
• Chris Ralston ( Richmond and England)
• Gordon Brown ( West of Scotland and Scotland)
• Roger Uttley ( Gosforth and England)

Loose forwards

• Fergus Slattery ( Blackrock College and Ireland)
• Stewart McKinney ( Dungannon and Ireland)
• Tommy David ( Llanelli and Wales)
• Tony Neary (Broughton Park and England)
• Andy Ripley ( Rosslyn Park and England)
• Mervyn Davies ( Swansea and Wales)

In muddy conditions at Newlands, the Lions took a while to settle, conceding the lead for the first time on the tour before steadying to win the opening Test comfortably. [7]

South Africa : Ian McCallum, Chris Pope, Johan Oosthuizen, Peter Whipp, Gert Muller, Dawie Snyman, Roy McCallum, Morne du Plessis, Jan Ellis, Jan Boland Coetzee, John Williams, Kevin de Klerk, Hannes Marais (c), Piston van Wyk, Sakkie Sauerman

Lions : JPR Williams, Steele, Milliken, McGeechan, JJ Williams, Bennett, Edwards, Davies, Uttley, Slattery, Brown, McBride (c), Cotton, Windsor, McLauchlan

The Lions went in at half-time with a 10–3 advantage, thanks to two tries from J. J. Williams. The lead was reduced to 10–6 when Bosch scored a penalty early in the second half, but that was as close as the Springboks came. Thereafter the Lions took control, with tries to Bennett, Brown and Milliken. [8] It was up to that point the heaviest defeat in Springbok history. [9]

South Africa : Ian McCallum (replaced Snyman, replaced Vogel), Chris Pope, Jackie Snyman, Peter Whipp, Gerrie Germishuys , Gerald Bosch, Paul Bayvel , Dugald MacDonald , Jan Ellis , Morne du Plessis , John Williams, Kevin de Klerk, Hannes Marais (c), Dave Frederickson, Nic Bezuidenhoudt

Lions : J. P. R. Williams , Steele, Milliken, McGeechan, JJ Williams, Bennett, Edwards, Davies, Uttley, Slattery, Brown, McBride (c), Cotton , Windsor, McLauchlan

Following the humiliation of Pretoria, the Springbok selectors made drastic changes, keeping only five players from the previous match in the starting line-up. One of the most bizarre changes, however, involved bringing in Free State loose forward Gerrie Sonnekus to play out of position at scrumhalf, [10] a move which had disastrous consequences. In the opening half-hour, the Springboks produced their best rugby of the series so far, and the desperation with which they played prompted Lions centre Dick Milliken to reflect years later that he had "never experienced such intensity on a rugby pitch". [11] Much like the earlier match against Eastern Province at the same venue, [12] the occasion was marred by outbreaks of violence, such that the match has since been dubbed the 'Battle of Boet Erasmus'. The brawling was probably fueled by the win-at-all-costs mentality with which the Springboks were playing, as well as the resolution of the Lions players not to be cowed by their opponents' famed physicality. Despite the Springboks having the better of most of the first half, they still went into the main break down 7–3 after Gordon Brown snatched the ball from a lineout and crashed over the line in injury time.

After the initial onslaught, the Lions regrouped and as the Springboks began to tire, they took complete control in the second half. As the forwards began to assert themselves, the backs were able to launch attack after attack on the Springbok line. Winger J. J. Williams scored two superb tries; the first came from a brilliant one-two pass combination with J. P. R. Williams, and the second was the result of a brilliant kick-and-chase. [13]

At the end of the match, Lions captain McBride was carried off on the shoulders of Bobby Windsor and Gordon Brown. It was the first time since 1896 that the British Isles had won a series in South Africa, and the first time since 1910 that a touring side had beaten the Springboks at Boet Erasmus stadium. Danie Craven , the president of the South African Rugby Board, congratulated the Lions on their historic achievement, acknowledging that the visitors had indeed been "the better team". [13]

South Africa : 15 Tonie Roux, 14 Chris Pope, 13 Peter Cronje, 12 Jan Schlebusch, 11 Gert Muller, 10 Jackie Snyman, 9 Gerrie Sonnekus, 8 Klippies Kritzinger, 7 Jan Ellis, 6 Polla Fourie, 5 Johan de Bruyn, 4 Moaner van Heerden (replaced by De Klerk), 3 Hannes Marais (c), 2 Piston van Wyk, 1 Nic Bezuidenhoudt; Replacements: 16 Kevin de Klerk, 17 Malcolm Swanby, 18 Gavin Cowley, 19 Gert Schutte, 20 Andre Bestbier, 21 Rampie Stander

Lions : 15 J. P. R. Williams, 14 Andy Irvine, 13 Ian McGeechan, 12 Dick Milliken, 11 J. J. Williams, 10 Phil Bennett, 9 Gareth Edwards, 8 Mervyn Davies, 7 Fergus Slattery, 6 Roger Uttley, 5 Willie John McBride (c), 4 Gordon Brown, 3 Fran Cotton, 2 Bobby Windsor, 1 Ian McLauchlan; Replacements: 16 Mike Gibson, 17 Billy Steele, 18 John Moloney, 19 Ken Kennedy, 20 Sandy Carmichael, 21 Tony Neary

After winning the first three test matches, the Lions drew the final test in controversial circumstances. In the dying minutes, Irish flanker Fergus Slattery broke through the South African line and appeared to successfully ground the ball, only for the (South African) referee to adjudge it held up; the Lions couldn't believe it, and Slattery himself later stated to the British newspapers that even the South African players thought that he had scored a legitimate try. Moreover, the referee blew the final whistle four minutes early with the Lions still just two metres from the South African try line, thus preserving their unbeaten record, but denying them a tour whitewash. When asked about the decision afterward, the referee was said to have replied: "Look boys, I have to live here". [1] JPR Williams later recalled that he struggled to understand the elation that South Africans felt in drawing the match. [10]

South Africa : Tonie Roux, Chris Pope, Peter Cronje, Jan Schlebusch, Gert Muller, Jackie Snyman, Paul Bayvel, Kleintjie Grobler, Jan Ellis, Klippies Kritzinger, John Williams, Moaner van Heerden, Hannes Marais (c), Piston van Wyk, Nic Bezuidenhoudt (replaced by Stander)

Lions : J. P. R. Williams, Irvine, McGeechan, Milliken, J. J. Williams, Bennett, Edwards, Davies, Uttley, Slattery, Ralston, McBride (c), Cotton, Windsor, McLauchlan

The Lions previous series in South Africa had all been losses, apart from the drawn 1955 series.

South Africa had not lost a home Test series since 1958 against France. In their most recent internationals they had won series against NZ at home in 1970 and against Australia away in 1971. They won their subsequent series, against NZ at home, in 1976.

However, they had not played a test match for two years before playing the Lions. [14]

Danie Craven said the 1974 Lions were "the greatest team to visit South Africa".

Many of the players who also played on the victorious 1971 Lions tour to New Zealand believe the 1974 Lions team would have beaten the 1971 Lions team, due to having better forwards and because many of the 1971 players had become better players by 1974. [15] J.P.R. Williams has said that whilst the 1971 Lions back division could not be bettered, the 1974 squad was better at winning games. [16]

• Jenkins, Vivian (1975). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1975–76 . Brickfield Publications. ISBN   0-362-00221-5 .
• Reason, John (1974). The unbeaten Lions: The 1974 British Isles Rugby Union tour of South Africa . Rugby Books. p.   258. ISBN   9780903194020 .
• Thomas, J. B. G. (1974). The greatest Lions   : the story of the British Lions tour of South Africa, 1974 . London: Pelham. p.   175. ISBN   0720707862 .

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• 1 2 Mitchell, Kevin (3 May 2009). "The Lion kings" . The Guardian . Retrieved 7 July 2019 .
• ↑ Taylor, John (11 July 2014). "Lions and the fight against apartheid" . ESPN.
• ↑ Bills, Peter (17 July 2008). "Gerald Davies on the adventure of the Lions" . The Independent . London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022 . Retrieved 3 May 2010 .
• ↑ Live, North Wales (16 May 2009). "Gerald Davies: A Lion's Tale" . North Wales Live .
• ↑ "International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 30 November 1973" (PDF) .
• ↑ Teltsch, Kathleen (13 November 1974). "South Africa Is Suspended By U.N. Assembly, 91‐22" . The New York Times . Retrieved 7 July 2019 .
• ↑ "Springboks promise a different result on Pretoria's hard ground" . The Times . No.   59111. Reuters . 10 June 1974. p.   11 . Retrieved 8 July 2019 .
• ↑ Jenkins, Vivian (23 June 1974). "South Africa handed beating of all time" . The Sunday Times . No.   7880. p.   21 . Retrieved 8 July 2019 .
• ↑ "South Africans rake over ashes of heaviest defeat" . The Times . Reuters . 24 June 1974. p.   9 . Retrieved 8 July 2019 .
• 1 2 Dolan, Damian (15 May 2009). "JPR Williams remembers the call of 99" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 1 May 2022 . Retrieved 7 July 2019 .
• ↑ Barclay, Tristan (13 July 1974). "Lions victorious in Battle of Boet Erasmus" . ESPN . Retrieved 7 July 2019 .
• ↑ "Kicking and punching mar Lions' brilliant victory" . The Times . No.   59099. Reuters. 27 May 1974. p.   9 . Retrieved 7 July 2019 .
• 1 2 "British Lions accepted as kings" . The Times . No.   59139. Reuters. 15 July 1974. p.   7 . Retrieved 7 July 2019 .
• ↑ O’Reilly, Peter. "Dick Milliken: The Springboks were physical and frightening – but they believed we were invincible" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
• ↑ Willie John McBride , Ian McLauchlan , Ian McGeechen , Fergus Slattery , Chapter 24, Undefeated, Rhodri Davies
• ↑ Orders, Mark (4 March 2019). "The life of JPR at 70, a Welsh rugby great who was different from the rest" . Wales Online .
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The 1974 British Lions Tour of South Africa

The British Lions have only toured South Africa six times since 1960 so not many players get the opportunity to represent the Springboks against the tourists. In the 1974 tour, which was probably the most controversial and talked about Lions tour to this country,  there were no less than five Ikey players who represented the Springboks against the tourists. 

Back Row: 2 nd from left, Roy McCallum; 3 rd from left Dugald MacDonald; 2 nd from right Peter Whipp.

Middle Row: 2 nd from right Chris Pope

Front Row: 3 rd from left Ian McCallum

The ’74 Lions side had no weaknesses and they came to South Africa with a thorough understanding of the Springboks mind-set. It was Captain McBride’s 5th tour as a British and Irish Lions; his first Lions tour to South Africa was in 1962. They knew that if you can beat the Springboks in the scrums they can be beaten so they targeted the scrum and practiced this area in particular many months before the tour. 

South Africa didn’t have television in the early 70’s so South Africans didn’t see that coaching and training methods had taken a more professional turn in the UK. The printed press was the only information that was readily available and were very superficial with what it actually revealed about the players.

The games against Western Province, Transvaal and Free State had significant impact on the selectors and the series. Western Province ran the ball at the Lions and scored two good tries on a dry field. This was incidentally the last time a try was registered on a Saturday match against the Lions up to the fourth test. The success of the WP backline and the ability of their pack to manage upfront resulted in eight Province players being selected for the first test.

Ironically, Newlands was heavy with rain on test day and the Lions controlled the match with forwards and scrumhalf while the Springboks never tried to run the ball. SA lost that first test 12-3 and the Springbok selectors panicked and started what is now known as “the farce of ‘74” selection process. That test was the first of Chris Pope’s 9 tests. Sadly that was Roy McCallum first and only test. He deserved a second chance as much as anyone as he was a brilliant scrumhalf, but suffered behind a springbok pack dominated by the British Lions. He paid the ultimate price for his forwards lack of dominance.

For the 2 nd Test, Morné du Plessis was moved from No8 to 6 and Dugald McDonald was brought in as No8. In total there where 6 changes and one positional shift to the team. The Lions won 28 – 9. The selection panic continued and a total of 9 changes and one positional switch was made for the third test, which South Africa Lost 9 – 26. The fourth and final test was drawn 13 – 13 and will be remembered for all the controversy around some of the refereeing decisions.

The tour will be remembered as well for the violence and the ' 99 call ' (originally the '999 call' but it was too slow to shout out) which was meant to show that the Lions were a team and would not take any more of the violence being meted out to them. It was a harsh response to what the team were facing, but intended to show that the Lions would act as one and fight unsporting behavior with more of the same. The idea was that the referee would be unlikely to send off all of the Lions if they all attacked. At the 'Battle of Boet Erasmus Stadium ', in Port Elizabeth , one of the most violent matches in rugby history, there is famous video footage of JPR Williams running over half of the pitch and launching himself at Moaner van Heerden after such a call. 

The 1974 Tour of the Lions to South Africa was undoubtedly the most unsettling tour ever for Springbok rugby. Touring unbeaten through South Africa superior in every aspect in virtually every single match including the test matches it was a massive wake-up call for South African rugby.

Historic Fixtures