Test Record:
Cape Town (W) 12-3 ,Pretoria (W) 28-9, Port Elizabeth (W) 26-9
Johannesburg (D) 13-13
Tour Record:
Played 22 Won 21, Drew 1 Lost 0, Points for 729, Points against:
207
In 1974 the greatest rugby union side
ever to leave the British Isles took on the mighty Springboks
in a gruelling twenty-two match series, including four test matches.
By the end, each member of that historic team had entered British
rugby folklore. Several of the victorious side from the 1971'tour
of New Zealand united once again and accomplished a remarkable
unbeaten record of twenty-one consecutive victories and a draw
in the final test, however, many commentators feel that a perfect
record was denied due to poor refereeing. Individual,performances,
which caught the headlines, included the magnificent half-back
pairing of Phil Bennett and Gareth Edwards. JJ Williams completed
two brilliant tries during the third test and finished with an
impressive twelve tour tries in total. Roger Uttley's appearance
in no less than sixteen of the twenty-two games was a formidable
achievement and JPR Williams, possibly the greatest ever full
back, would have won the final test with a magnificent run to
set up Fergus Slattery's try only for it to be dubiously disallowed.
Scotland's Ian McGeechan demonstrated superb agility and pace
in the centre whilst fellow country man, Andy Irvine, produced
countless moments of sublime skill in the final two tests and
will always be remembered as one of the most gifted players ever
to don a Lions shirt. The Lions tremendous forward line led by
inspirational Captain Willie John McBride was in many respects
the driving force behind the success of the 1974 tour. McBride's
courage and leadership singled him out above all others, as this
was to be his fifth and final Lions tour. McBride's Lions career
spanned a remarkable twelve years and seventeen tests, a record,
which may never be surpassed. The other forwards including Cotton,
McLauchlan, Gordon Brown, Windsor, Slattery and Mervyn Davies
combined effectively to, set up a strong platform for victory
and proved to be the stalwarts in both attack and defence. Everyone
returned from the 1974 tour a hero and it would be fair to say
that this unparalleled squad is still the benchmark to which
each and every successive Lions team since 1974 have strived
to emulate. |
