British and Irish Lions Rugby

In professional team sports, the play-maker receives plaudits when they do something right and conversely the opprobrium when they screw up.

In football, the quarter-back who throws the winning touchdown pass, knows on another given day, the pass could be intercepted for a 40 yard return by the defense. The center-forward soccer player that scores the winning goal retains knowledge that today he is a hero but has the potential for the next day, a chump.

Same goes for the rugby out-half, who drops the winning goal or slots over the penalty. These professionals know only too well the capricious nature of sport. The rewards, the plaudits, are huge.

Prop forwards are in the front-line of the ultimate collision sport. Tight-head prop is the most physically demanding position on the rugby pitch and possibly in any team sport.The force generated when two international packs engage (for the scrum) is akin to two family hatchbacks colliding at 25 mph.

After the physical strain of a scrum, a prop is expected to hit rucks, make tackles and carry the ball. The tight-head for example is effectively scrummaging against two players – the loose-head and the hooker.

Anyone who watched the Lions V South Africa Series 2009 – will remember the sight of a broken Phil Vickery on the sideline during the first test. Arguably Vickery’s poor scrummaging performance in the first test cost the Lions that game. Vickery was savaged by the beast - coughing up three penalties in the first half for dropping his bind.

He was psychologically broken after the first scrum, when he was driven up and out of the scrum. However Vickery got his chance for redemption in the final test (due in part to injuries caused by the attritional nature of the second test) and gained parity at scrum-time against the Beast.

The only test the Lions won in the series.

Scrummaging is quite a technical skill – and technique can triumph over brute strength.

Paul Wallace of Saracens, Ireland and British and Irish Lions was considered small in stature (for a prop forward) but was an excellent technical scrummager. A skilled tight-head prop will try to bring his opponent as low to the ground as possible.

Unfortunately the technical side of the game is not receiving enough attention from coaches in countries like Ireland, England and Wales. This demonstrates a lack of understanding of the role of the prop by professional coaches. It is time for more appreciation for the prop forward and for the important game changing role that he plays in modern rugby.

In contrast, countries like South Africa, Argentina, Italy and lately France place considerable emphasis on scrummaging to great success. Despite the importance of the scrum – many teams don’t practice scrummaging in training.

I picked up these amusing tales from top rugby players and journalists over many years  — and dedicate them to my old friend Tony ‘Charlie’ Faulkner,  subject of the first anecdote. Whether the story is apocryphal rather than factual  is your call, Charlie.

DON’T CALL US: During their 1978 tour of Australia, the great Welsh team of that era tried all sorts of devious methods to get freebie phone calls through to their wives and loved ones back home. The players resorted to tricks like asking restaurant proprietors if they could use the phone — and then calling the other side of the world when the proprietor thought they were ringing a local number. Prop forward Charlie Faulkner — a not-so-bright member of the legendary Pontypool front row — opted for a different tactic at the reception that followed the first Test match in Brisbane.

He picked up the house phone, got through to the hotel switchboard and barked out his home number in Newport. ‘’To whom do I charge the call?’’ asked the operator. ‘’Err…Mr Dawes. John Dawes,’’ mumbled Charlie, figuring he could get the tour coach to pick up the tab. ‘’Please remain by the phone for a moment, Mr Dawes, and I’ll call you back,’’ came the reply. Charlie replaced the receiver and got back to the business of drowning his sorrows after a rare defeat. By the time the call came through a few minutes later, he was in another world. ‘’Ullo,’’ said Charlie. ‘’I have a call to South Wales for Mr John Dawes,’’ confirmed the operator. Charlie took a quick look around. ‘’He’s not here,’’ he barked – and hung up.

GUM-ETH THE HOUR: Cliff Morgan, the rugby maestro who later became a commentator and eventually head of BBC TV sport, vividly recalls his first broadcasting experience. Wales had just beaten Ireland 14-3 in Dublin on their way to the Triple Crown and Grand Slam when BBC radio commentator Sammy Walker asked the great man what he remembered about the match.

‘’My father losing his teeth,’’ said Cliff. ‘’When Ken Jones scored our second try, dad was so excited that his dentures flew out of his mouth into the crowd and he hasn’t seen them since.’’ Some years later, Morgan was recounting the tale to Tony O’Reilly, who played 29 times for his country before becoming a mega-rich international businessman and head of the Heinz empire. O’Reilly, who was renowned for his great wit, feigned surprise at the news. ‘’Your father’s, were they?’’ he said.

"’That’s amazing. I know the guy in Cork who’s still wearing them.’’ On another occasion, O’Reilly had to make a brief trip to a Dublin hospital after being involved in a minor traffic accident. With medical treatment in Ireland charged on a sliding scale according to income, the nurse who was filling in the details on his behalf asked: ‘’Mr O’Reilly, do you earn more than 10,000 punts (pounds)?’’ Quipped Tony: ‘’Now that depends on whether you are talking about the hour or the day.’’ 

HEADS WE WIN: Wales coach Clive Rowlands was giving his customary pre-match talk before an all-important international at Cardiff Arms Park. As usual, the players were locked into Room 338 at the nearby Angel Hotel – and the emotive Rowlands was pounding them with reasons why they had to grind the opposition into the dust. By the time he had finished working on their emotions, the wound-up stars were ready to die for their country – literally. ‘’What are you going to do?’’ Rowlands bellowed as the electric atmosphere reached fever pitch. ‘’WIN!’’ yelled the players. ‘’What are we going to do?’’ echoed Clive. ‘’Win, win …WIN!’’ It was all too much for second-row forward Geoff Wheel. The big man from Swansea worked himself into a frenzy and, screaming ‘’Kill, KILL!‘’, he charged at the door to Room 338 – and butted a hole clean through it. 

 A FATE WORSE THAN BREATH: After four years in the England team, veteran prop Paul Rendall had seen it all. So it was only natural he should want to put new boy Paul Ackford’s mind at ease as they prepared to face Australia at Twickenham. ’’Don’t worry,’’ Rendall assured police inspector Ackford in the changing room before the match. ’’The game will fly by. You’ll find the first half seems like three minutes and the second half four minutes.’’ England went on to produce a dazzling performance and were within five minutes of a memorable victory when Ackford staggered up to Rendall during an injury stoppage. ‘’You’re a f***ing liar!’’ gasped the 6ft 6in second row. ‘’I’ve been out here for four-and-a-half hours and the game’s still not over.‘’

 LATE MOMENTS IN SPORT: The British Lions were given a fearful runaround by the Orange Free State outside half during a particularly traumatic 1980 tour match. In the end, Lions centre Ray Gravell could stand no more. As the South African danger man made yet another break, the Welsh tough guy hit him with a fearful tackle long after he had parted with the ball. The referee angrily called the Llanelli star over and proceeded to dish out the severest of reprimands. ‘’That was the latest tackle I’ve ever seen!’’ he stormed. Replied wisecracking Gravell: ‘’Sorry ref, I got there as quickly as I could.’’

STICKY WAGER: It certainly wasn’t the weather that took York Rugby League coach Bill Reilly and Aussie scout Arthur Clues  to Batley. The Mount Pleasant ground was anything but pleasant as the wind howled, the rain sheeted down – and the teams made a forlorn attempt to play rugby in a mudbath. With scarcely a minute left to play, neither side had scored a single point.

Then Batley, playing up the hill and into the gale, won a penalty way out on the touchline. As their fullback lined up an ambitious pot at goal, Yorkshireman Reilly turned to Clues and wagered: ‘’I bet you a dollar he kicks it.’’ ‘’You’re on,’’ replied Clues. The kicker squelched through his run-up, only to slip in the quagmire at the moment of contact – and the ball trickled just a few inches forward as he plunged onto his back in the mud. ‘’I told you he’d kick it,’’ said Reilly, holding out his hand for his winnings.

ARMS AND THE MAN: There was no question of injured Tommy Martin making his own way off the field. The Leigh and Great Britain second row needed a stretcher after taking a bad knock on his ankle — but the one and only St John Ambulance stretcher was already occupied by another player. As Martin lay writhing on the ground and the fans bayed for the action to restart, desperate officials grabbed an office chair from the clubhouse and dashed on to the pitch with it. Martin was lifted gingerly into the seat, and with one embarrassed committee man either side, the chair was hoisted into the air by its arms. With the crowd roaring their approval, Martin was steered tentatively towards the dressing room . Five seconds later, there was a huge crack and the committee men were left holding a chair arm each as the seat and legs tipped Martin out – straight onto his damaged ankle.

GRIN AT THE DEEP END: To celebrate Leigh’s feat in avoiding relegation, coach Tom Grainey took his strugglers on holiday to Majorca. Some months later, his assistant Colin Clarke was reflecting on the break in the changing room at Hilton Park. ‘’Remember it, lads?’’ he mused. ‘’All that sun and San Miguel…and old Grainey up on the top diving board doing a double somersault with pike?’’ With that, prop forward Derek Pyke chirped up: ‘’Hey, it weren’t me. I were out on a training run.’’

WIGAN’S BIG ‘UN: The groupie girl outside Wigan’s Riverside Club eyed up the town’s new Rugby League hero – and liked what she saw. ‘’Hiya, big boy,’’ she said to burly South African Nick Du Toit, her eyes settling on the most personal part of the 6ft 3in forward’s anatomy. ‘’Tell me, are you built in proportion all over?’’ ‘’Listen, lady,’’ replied Du Toit in his clipped Afrikaans tones. ‘’If I was built in proportion, I’d be 12 foot ten!’’

AN ED FULL OF NOTHING: Tough-guy Eddie Szymala was in the wars again. And after the beefy but intellectually-challenged Barrow forward broke his jaw in a match against Oldham, coach Frank Foster was quick to pay tribute to the wounded hero. ‘’Eddie doesn’t know the meaning of the word fear,’’ Foster told the assembled press. ‘’Mind you, there are a million other words he doesn’t know the meaning of, either.’’

Rarely has the cruelty of sport at the highest level been so clear to see as on the faces of the British and Irish Lions players after the second Test in Pretoria. As Morne Steyn’s kick flew between the uprights, the hearts of four nations sank along with those of their battered warriors.

The Lions now head to Johannesburg for the third and final Test with only pride to play for; ruing the injustice of Schalk Burger’s inexcusably generous yellow card, a multitude of injuries in key positions, and their own inability to close out the game.

Yet for all their disappointment, their courage and bravery in the face of adversity must be admired.

At the end of a season spanning almost an entire year for these players, the task of beating the the World Champion Spingboks in their own backyard, was considered to be nearly impossible. A task made harder by the fact that they would have only five weeks to prepare.

And so it proved to be a bridge too far, but only just. The fact that they pushed the Boks to their limits is a success in itself, and although they will return with another series defeat, the class of 2009 has showed that the ethos of the Lions is well and truly alive.

South Africa too must be credited for its resilience and ability to handle pressure, as well as for their whole contribution to two of the most exciting test matches ever played.

For over an hour, everything was going according to plan for McGeechan’s men, as they went into the final quarter leading 19-8. However, two wonderfully crafted tries for Bryan Habana and Jacques Fourie brought the Boks back into contention, before Steyn’s last-gasp winner.

The drama began as early as the first minute, when Schalk Burger, making his 50th Test appearance for South Africa, was spotted eye gouging Luke Fitzgerald by Linesman Brys Lawrence. Lawrence’s recommendation to referee Christophe Berdos was “at least a yellow card,” but it is hard to fathom how the Frenchman did not produce a red.

Comments following the game by South African coach Peter de Villiers that Burger did not deserve even a yellow card have incensed the Lions, and justifiably so. There is unquestionably no place for eye-gouging in the game of rugby and to suggest otherwise is "mind boggling" in the opinion of Brian O’Driscoll.

Unfazed by the event, the Lions went about their business to stunning effect as the imperious Irish full-back Rob Kearney, who had a flawless match, crossed the whitewash in the seventh minute. But having conceded 10 points with Burger off the field, the Boks scored immediately upon his return.

Juan Smith won a line-out at the tail and scrum-half Du Preez released wing JP Pietersen, who picked a superb angle to ease past Fitzgerald and over to the right of the posts.

Stephen Jones and Francois Steyn traded penalties to leave the score at 16-8 at half-time.

The Second half did not begin well for the Lions, as they lost both props, Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones, to injury. Witnesses to the first test may have considered the idea of uncontested scrums against John Smit and "the Beast" to be a godsend, but the two Welshmen were dominating their opposite numbers and the Lions missed them badly for the last half an hour.

Worse was to come as the influential Jamie Roberts followed his centre partner Brian O’Driscoll off the field, forcing stand-off Stephen Jones to move to inside-centre, and wing Tommy Bowe to slot into the 13 channel.

Ronan O’Gara came on at Fly-half, but it was to prove a desperately disappointing cameo for the Irishman.

First, it was his missed tackle which allowed Jacques Fourie to squeeze in at the corner and give the Sprinkboks the lead for the first time in the match and secondly, with his head strapped and barely able to see out of one eye, he hoisted an up-and-under with the scores at 25-25 in the last play of the match, instead of looking for the safety of touch.

Chasing his own kick, he only succeeded in taking out South African scrum-half Fourie Du-Preez in the air, providing Steyn with the chance to write himself into the history books and exact revenge for 12 years of hurt.

For a man who has had such success throughout his career, guiding Munster to European glory and Ireland to a Grand-Slam triumph, to have made such a costly error in what was surely the biggest game of his career is a very heavy burden.

The anguish was clear to see on his battered face following the final whistle, and one could not help but feel desperately sorry for a man who had nowhere to hide, and who will struggle to ever forget the closing events of this compelling Test match.

Nobody epitomized the Lions’ spirit more than Simon Shaw, making his Test debut at the age of 35.

The Wasps second-row was everywhere, seemingly untouched by fatigue or pain as he repeatedly smashed into rucks and tackles, and he was deservedly awarded Man of the Match.

Yet, as he himself admitted, that is little consolation. A massive opportunity has been missed by these players and the harsh facts remain that this was a seventh straight Test defeat for the men from Britain and Ireland.

“No one actually thought we were going to be competitive," McGeechan noted. "But we have been more than that. In both games we have been winners in a lot of respects."

Maybe, but unfortunately for the Lions and their marvelous fans, not on the scoreboard.

In honour of what we hope will be a great test match today, here are some Lions "Did You Know?" facts in relation to the first Test side announced today, courtesy of the Lions press department:

• David Wallace is all set to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother Paul by playing against the Springboks for the British and Irish Lions in a Test match.
• Back in 1997, Paul was one of the shock inclusions in the Test pack to take on the reigning world champions. Twelve years on, it will be Munster flanker David’s turn to tackle to current holders of the Rugby World Cup.
• Paul made his debut in a 25-16 victory at Newlands, Cape Town, while David’s big day will be at the ABSA Stadium in Durban this weekend. He will be one of 10 Lions making their Test debuts in the starting lineup.
• It will be only the fourth test between the Springboks and the Lions in Durban, and Paul O’Connell’s men will be looking to make it 2-2. The Boks were 7-3 winners in 1924 and then triumphed 3-0 in 1962.
• Martin Johnson’s side clinched the series at King’s Park (now the ABSA Stadium) in 1997 when they won the second test 18-15. Five penalties from the boot of Neil Jenkins and a drop goal from Jeremy Guscott clinched a famous victory and series triumph.
• They say that winning the first Test in any series is vital, and the statistics back up that statement. This will be the 13th series played between the Springboks and Lions in South Africa, and the side that won the first Test has gone on to take the series nine times previously.
• The 1891, 1896, 1974, and 1997 Lions all won the first Test and then the series, while the Springboks did the same in 1910, 1924, 1938, 1968, and 1980. The odd years out were 1903 and 1962, when the first games were drawn, and 1955.
• In both 1903 and 1962, the Springboks went on to clinch the series, while in 1955 the Lions triumphed in Johannesburg before sharing the series 2-2.
• The breakdown of the countries and clubs from which the Lions Test team is drawn is as follows: In the starting XV, there are six Welsh, five Irish, and four English players. In the 22, those numbers rise to nine Welsh, 8 Irish and 5 English.
• On the club front, the Ospreys have four in the starting XV and five overall. Cardiff Blues, Leinster, and Munster have two each in the starting lineup, while Munster have two more among the replacements and the others one more each.
• For three players in the Lions' 22 for Durban, it will be their first chance to face the Springboks. Ospreys and Ireland wing Tommy Bowe, Leinster and Ireland No. 8 Jamie Heaslip, and full back Rob Kearney have yet to meet the world champions.
• On the other hand, England prop Phil Vickery will be packing down against them for an 11th time. He has won 50 percent of such matchups to date and will be hoping to go into credit with a sixth win at the weekend.
• Scarlets and Wales' outside half has scored 60 points against South Africa but is yet to taste victory in six outings. He made his debut against the Springboks in Pretoria in 1998 when he came on as a replacement in Wales’ record 96-13 defeat.

Yesterday saw the announcement of a Lions Test 22 shorn of any Scottish representation. For some Scottish fans that may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back—no Scots equals no support was one example I saw out there in the wonderful world of the blogosphere.

Some argued over on the 606 boards that if it came down to a 50-50 call between Donnacha and Nathan on the bench, the call should have gone for the Scot to ensure all four countries are represented to "get the Scots on board".

You want to say not having Scots in there will harm tour morale if they feel left out. But this takes you dangerously close to quota systems like they have in South Africa, and while the Africans are trying to heal a nation divided for so long and promote integration in sport, what would be achieved by arbitrarily parachuting a Scot into a Lions team?

That would damage tour morale, with professional players uncertain that their position has been chosen on form not politics (however trivial a brand of politics it might be) and that goes against the central ethos of what the Lions is about.

It is about taking a bunch of players from five countries, and essentially removing national identity and replacing it with a new country, The United Nation of Lion. They must come together as one team, a squad with no fixed national identity save for the red shirt, white shorts and blue and green socks that they wear.

If they do not, if the squad splits along national lines, then they fail. Ian McGeechan knows this, and that is why the Scot has picked this team, because it is the team he feels can win and give us something that all of us can be proud of.

We are all sure Nathan should have been on the bench and hoped Murray would have been before the ankle injury that ended his tour. But we must trust Geech has a plan. Perhaps Nathan has a slight ankle injury we don’t know about that added to the factors in Donnacha’s favour.

Sure, you can bet that if there were no Welshmen involved in a Lions test team, the leek-munchers would be rioting in the streets of Pontypool but this perhaps is down to something in our character, an acceptance of defeat and willingness to be plucky losers rather than to fight our corner and dominate.

Which is strange as Scottish soldiers dominated half the world for long enough. It is the factor noticeably absent from the play on tour of both Mike Blair and Ross Ford, who are “nice guys” and who undoubtedly have the skills to have been in the test 22.

Perhaps if Andy Robinson can instill some of that fire, that killer instinct in our national team, we can look forward to a Lions tour where Scots are prominent in the team, and there on merit.

We cheer the players because (for the most part) they hail from the same shores we do, but they amongst themselves must reject petty nationalism and try and achieve something truly difficult, one of sport’s truly quixotic endeavours.

To put a bunch of guys together and say, “go half way (or the whole way) around the world and play the best team in the world. And do it in a couple of months.” It must be easier to bring together a national squad, who all want to play for their country—issues of nationality are almost a shorthand to building a team, they give the players something in common.

For the Lions that shorthand is not there. Instead they only have history, and a willingness to play for each other that has to be built almost from scratch.

Why do they do it? Because it is there to be done, like climbing Everest (which Jim Telfer compared it to), going to the moon or breaking a world record.

It is the sort of things that even in the age of Coca Cola Stadiums and 60-million dollar transfer fees, human beings still take on for little reason other than “it’s worth a bash”, to test themselves against the truly great. And seeing someone try and do that is worthy of anyone’s support, surely?

With a wee ankle strain keeping him out of Saturday’s game, Mike’s last chance to try and sneak onto the bench for the test will be Tuesday. With Mike Phillips now a certainty for the No. 9 shirt and Harry Ellis playing solidly if unspectacularly, Mike has been short of opportunities to show what he can do—less than a full 80 minutes spread across two matches.

They are both carrying slight knocks, though, so if fit he should be certain of a start on Tuesday.

With Euan Murray and Ross Ford also largely restricted to the midweek team (that confusingly seems to have played on Saturdays) it could be likely that there is a strong Scottish flavour to the not-probables who will face the Southern Kings on Tuesday.

The team announcement imminent.

This match is on early afternoon here, so set your videos, if you still use such things. They reckon (barring injuries tomorrow) that all scrum halves will be fit for Saturday, so there's no requirement for a late call up.

Meanwhile, Chris Cusiter, whom many (including myself) touted for a berth on the Lions Tour, seems to be maintaining the great form his brief appearances in the 6N suggested, leading the Scotland A team in Romania to a demolition of rugby giants Russia in a performance that left Andy Robinson happy with some things but seemingly plenty else to work on when Cusiter went off.

BBC Report

Apparently, the match was screened by beleaguered broadcaster Setanta, anyone see the match and can confirm this? Some of the Nations Cup games seem to be on Eurosport this week but no sign of Scotland thus far. I’ll keep you posted if I find anything.

Update: Here is the Lions team to face the Southern Kings, hot off the press. Donnacha is to captain the side, and big Nathan has been sent into the back row. Still, if Mike Blair passes a fitness test on Tuesday morning this team will feature the entire Scottish contingent starting, leading to the high probability of none of them making the test side. It’s a fairly beasting pack with a much lighter feel (plenty of skill though) in the backs.

British & Irish Lions versus Southern Kings on Tuesday, Jun. 16.

15. Keith Earls (Munster/Ireland)
14. Shane Williams (Ospreys/Wales)
13. Riki Flutey (London Wasps/England)
12. Gordon D’Arcy (Leinster/Ireland)
11. Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster/Ireland)
10. James Hook (Ospreys/Wales)
9. Mike Blair (Edinburgh/Scotland)
8. Andy Powell (Cardiff Blues/Wales)
7. Joe Worsley (London Wasps/England)
6. Nathan Hines (Perpignan/Scotland)
5. Donncha O’Callaghan (Munster/Ireland) captain
4. Simon Shaw (London Wasps/England)
3. Euan Murray (Northampton/Scotland)
2. Ross Ford (Edinburgh/Scotland)
1. Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks/England)

Replacements

16. Matthew Rees (Scarlets/Wales)
17. Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales)
18. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers/England)
19. David Wallace (Munster/Ireland)
20. Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers/England)
21. Ronan O’Gara (Munster/Ireland)
22. Ugo Monye (Harlequins/England