Nostalgia

[Lagger]

Way back when when I was a little boy, just before telly arrived in South Africa, we had to follow rugby on the radio.

My first memories are of an English tour to South Africa in 1972. We lost 9 18. I cannot remember any players' names though. Have to look it up.

Next one was the tour of the British Lions in 1974. Willie John McBride was the captain. JPR Williams the fullback and JJ Williams was a wing. I think Gareth Edwards was the scrumhalf and Phil Bennett the nr 10. I havent looked this up to refresh my memory. These are names that stuck. Fergus Slattery also now comes to mind. BTW where are these uncles today? Are they well?

The only South Africans that I remember is Dawie and Jackie Snyman who played in those tests.

I remember that we lost the first 3 tests and drew the last one 13 all.

Anyone else remembers this series or any one game that got stuck in your mind?

 

[Lardinho]

I was born in 1978 so wasn't born when the series went ahead, but I've seen many clips and the 71 and 74 Lions tours are legend.

As for the players of yesterear, well Gareth Edwards is a rugby pundit from time to time and gives rugby interviews for various programmes here etc. JJ Williams is one of the BBC Wales rugby pundit team and appears on TV all the time during the 6 nations and does commentry on the Welsh club games. JPR Williams stuck with his job after playing but always loved a game of rugby. He was the surgeon who operated on an abcess I had on my neck when I was 2... JPR cut me open and healed me!! It has a nice scar too, so I show it off haha but JPR is a bit of a legend really, tough as old boots and loved a good fair fight. He used to turn up at certain clubs in Bridgend I think it was, getting on close to 50, and say "Anyone got a game for me? C'mon boys, I want to play" and would quite happily play 80 minutes for that club's 3rd side, at number 8, where he played a lot of his club rugby. Phil Bennet and Willy John McBride don't do much rugby pundit work these days, but both have been interviewed for various DVDs of the Lions etc. along with people such as Barry John, Gerald Davies, Mervyn Davies etc.

As to my first memories of watching rugby as a fan, which I didn't get into for a few years after I started playing mini rugby at London Welsh under 7s, I remember seeing a world cup highlight programme from the Inaugural rugby world cup in 1987, I then watched rugby avidly and remember very clearly Wales winning the Triple Crown in 1988, Adrian Hadley scoring 2 tries from the wing against England (one of the many players, whose poaching to rugby league left the Welsh side depleted for the next 10 years, along with Jonathon Davies, Scott Quinell, Scott Gibbs, Paul Moriarty, John Deveraux etc.) and living in Cardiff, I went to see Wales play Scotland, being in the old children's enclosure in the old Arms Park, being 20-10 down to the Scots at half time, only to come back in the 2nd half and from 19-20 down, Jonathan Davies scoring 2 drop goals in the last 10 minutes, each to raptuous applause, to win 25-20. After that most of my early memories are of the Lions beating Australia in 89, Scotland pipping England to the Grand Slam in 1990, England winning back to back slams in 91 and 92 and the 1991 world cup. Slowly I became more and more rugby mad.

 

[BokMagic]

Well I was born in `76, so I just missed it. But my dad has an LP- yes, an LP- of one of the tests, I think it was the 3rd, commentary courtesy of the legendary Gerhard "Spiekeries" Viviers. Obviously, as the Boks lost that one, dad wasn`t too fond of playing that LP- yes, LP. I do recall something about the selectors not being able to decide between 2 different no.8`s, and playing both, with Theunis Stoffberg being played at scrumhalf, if I`m not mistaken?

But the stories about the Lions of `74 are quite legendary. I remember reading about Willie John McBride`s stirring captain`s speech before the 1st test. 30 minutes before kickoff, with the entire squad sitting in the change-room, WJ lit his pipe and said.... nothing. Absolutely nothing. Every player was left to himself, to gather their thoughts about what this series meant to them. Absolutely unique, and quite inspiring really.

 

[Lardinho]

haha I remember reading that myself.

I am also still amazed we won, not only that but were unbeaten, as I remember reading something one of the Welsh Lions said about the tour, that the Lions ran out to the pitch to warm up and they ended up just jogging on and passing the ball about, then almost like a herd of rhinos there was a rumble from the tunnel and the Boks sprinted out, like trains, hammering onto the pitch as though they were going to kill something. Even though the result went the Lion's way, I remember the writer said it sent a chill up his spine and they knew that second what it was going to be like to play the Boks.

I just wish there was a really detailed specific DVD of that tour, and others. I've seen DVDs of the Lions in general, and from the 1997 tours onwards, but not for the older ones, I bet there's still a lot of archive footage out there and many a legend to tell from the old players. I for one would snap them up if they were ever on sale.

 

[polonius]

Way back when when I was a little boy, just before telly arrived in South Africa, we had to follow rugby on the radio.

My first memories are of an English tour to South Africa in 1972. We lost 9 18. I cannot remember any players' names though. Have to look it up.

Next one was the tour of the British Lions in 1974. Willie John McBride was the captain. JPR Williams the fullback and JJ Williams was a wing. I think Gareth Edwards was the scrumhalf and Phil Bennett the nr 10. I havent looked this up to refresh my memory. These are names that stuck. Fergus Slattery also now comes to mind. BTW where are these uncles today? Are they well?

The only South Africans that I remember is Dawie and Jackie Snyman who played in those tests.

I remember that we lost the first 3 tests and drew the last one 13 all.

Anyone else remembers this series or any one game that got stuck in your mind?
[/b]

I was very much alive in 1974 and followed the Lions in South Africa very closely.

The Lions team was something like ... JPR Williams, JJ Williams, Ian McGeechan was one centre and I think Mike Gibson or maybe another an Irishman called Millikan might have been the other. Andy Irvine played in a couple of tests. He was the Scottish full-back and an excellent place-kicker so he was picked on the wing. He is currently President of the Scottish Rugby Union.

Gareth Edwards and Phill Bennett were the half-backs. Up front was the Mighty Mouse, Ian McLauchlan, Bobby Windsor was hooker. The other prop might have been Fran Cotton of England, now the owner Cotton Traders, a catalogue/online clothing retailer. Willie John McBride was 2nd row and captain and Gordon Brown (RIP) was the other. Back row was Fergus Slattery, Mervyn Davies and Roger Uttley.

The matches weren't broadcast live but about 30 minutes of highlights were shown several days later.

 

[BokMagic]

Wow, some of those names really jogs the memory there Polonius. Am I right in saying that Bobby Windsor was one part of the famous "Pontypridd Front Row", a bloke named Faulkner another, or am I thinking of a different bloke?

 

[polonius]

Wow, some of those names really jogs the memory there Polonius. Am I right in saying that Bobby Windsor was one part of the famous "Pontypridd Front Row", a bloke named Faulkner another, or am I thinking of a different bloke?
[/b]

No, you're not thinking of someone else; you're right.

http://www.sports-photos.co.uk/details/def...mp;categoryID=7

Graham Price, Charlie Faulkner and Bobby Windsor - the Pontypool Front Row and, I believe, they packed down for the Lions for a match or two in New Zeland in 1977. Also known as the Viet Gwent.

 

[BokMagic]

<div class='quotemain'>
Wow, some of those names really jogs the memory there Polonius. Am I right in saying that Bobby Windsor was one part of the famous "Pontypridd Front Row", a bloke named Faulkner another, or am I thinking of a different bloke?
[/b]

No, you're not thinking of someone else; you're right.

http://www.sports-photos.co.uk/details/def...mp;categoryID=7

Graham Price, Charlie Faulkner and Bobby Windsor - the Pontypool Front Row and, I believe, they packed down for the Lions for a match or two in New Zeland in 1977. Also known as the Viet Gwent.
[/b][/quote] Cheers mate, thanks for that! Thought I remembered something about a whole club front row who played together for the Lions.