'This was going to be one of the toughest tours of our lives' - The 1997 British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa | Spirit of Rugby - Ep2
RugbyPass is sharing unique stories from iconic British and Irish Lions tours to South Africa in proud partnership with The Famous Grouse, the Spirit of Rugby.
In episode two of Spirit of Rugby, Jim Hamilton talks with Jeremy Guscott, Ian McGeechan, Matt Dawson and John Bentley about their recollections of the 1997 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa. Dawson’s try in the first Test and Guscott’s series-clinching drop-goal in the second have gone down in Lions folklore, treasured moments that are both relived in the episode.
JEREMY GUSCOTT
“Realistically, the Lions should never win. Let’s face it, New Zealand, South Africa or Australia are normally the No1 side in the world, particularly when we have gone to South Africa they have always been blooming world champions… it was the first professional Lions tour.
“The Boks are route one. We’re coming at you, we’re bigger and stronger than you, well we think we are, we’re going to smash you out the way and you shouldn’t have the right to be on the same field as us. I know we were given very little chance of doing anything over there. I understand the Lions shouldn’t have a chance, but you can’t start telling people you have no chance. That rankled with me a little bit, because if you look around the squad, the squad wasn’t bad. There weren’t bad players on that trip.
“[On Dawson’s iconic try in the first Test] Big overarm basketball pass goes in, (Gary) Teichmann literally seems to follow it and Dawson casually carries on. The line is there and he dabs it down like a good three quarter and says ‘thanks very much’.
Bittersweet…
https://t.co/vu6JdYissK— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 14, 2021
“The South Africans were scoring tries,” added Guscott, reflecting on the second Test. “Jenko [Neil Jenkins], our full-back, was just stroking balls over beautifully, keeping the scoreboard ticking. Daws gets the ball and there must have been a moment where he has looked up and gone, ‘It’s Guscott, can I risk giving the ball to him?’
“The ball comes to me and my natural reaction is just to strike it. Gibbsy [Scott Gibbs] comes over, jumps on me, kisses me, a couple of high fives, we all run back, so it was pretty chaotic for three minutes then the whistle went and it was all done and dusted and over.”
IAN MCGEECHAN
“The fact that New Zealand couldn’t beat them for over 100 years in South Africa shows how difficult it is. They’re very proud. The biggest thing we wanted, we felt we had the players with an attitude, approach and the talent to actually play the game slightly differently.
“You know that under the pressure that the Lions will bring, it’s the group, the whole group, that makes the Test match squad. Everything you do and everything you can achieve is because of that collective approach and the unselfishness of what’s given.
“That drop goal started with Jerry Guscott and Neil Back winning a ruck on the halfway line and Keith Wood at scrum-half kicking the ball down the touchline, a lineout, Gregor Townsend taking the ball into the heart of the South African forwards.”
MATT DAWSON
“You knew you were up against the officials, you were up against the crowd, you were up against the players in a very different environment. We were acutely aware this was probably going to be one of the toughest tours of our lives and we had to get our head around it pretty quick.
“We all had to understand that no one thinks that we could win this, nobody. Nobody outside this room and your family believe you can win. The South Africans have a confidence that they can win against the Lions. Every single time that we met, we were understanding what it was like to put the shirt on, even just to hold the shirt.
“That was done out of sheer panic, don’t worry about that [Dawson’s first Test try]. It wasn’t like there was a planned move and they were going to fall for it. I wasn’t supposed to play because Rob Howley was the first choice. He was injured so they haven’t done any homework on me. What is little six-cap wonder Matt Dawson going to do? He’s not going to cause any problems.
“In the second Test in Durban, we are one-nil up so the place is baying for our blood. We ran onto the field first and then you saw the likes of Os du Randt, Mark Andrews, Teichmann, all these guys, running down this ramp into the field. It was like we were the gladiators and they had opened the gates and lions and tigers and everything were being thrown into the pit and saying ‘go on, deal with that’.
“Jerry Guscott, one of the greatest players I ever played with, but would never call for the ball unless there was something on, not just for him but for the team. I just remember Jerry screaming my name ‘Daws’ and instinctively I know I can’t mess about with this.”
JOHN BENTLEY
“We said, ‘Look, we need to front up a little bit here. We need to antagonise them a little bit and retaliate first’. Just to get a little bit of respect. It was brutal. I mean, some of the forwards, thank God I didn’t play in the forwards.”
When looking back on the second Test, Bentley added: “I was an hour and a half from playing the biggest game of my life and do you know what I was doing? I was crying. I was sat crying. I didn’t dare look around because I didn’t want to be seen to be crying. I just sneakily brought my hands to wipe the tears. But the talking was done then.
“We just hung in there, just hung in there. We found ourselves second best in the game but your man then stepped up and created some history.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Bell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
13 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to comments