Lions fashion heroic victory

THE date and the happening will be an indelible entry in the chronicle of rugby achievement. June 21st, the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere, will go down as one of the sweetest and certainly one of immense significance in the history of Lions rugby.

It was the day the 1997 Lions carved their names with pride on the Newlands ground which lies under the shadow of the famous Table Mountain and that, perhaps appropriately, hiding in the mist as the Lions humbled the world champions by recording a Victory of 25 points to 16 in the first of the three-match Test series.

It was a day, too, when an understudy at scrum-half became a star and we had 16 men in the famous red jersey heroes to a man. There in the heart of the Lions pack stood three Irishmen, Keith Wood, Paul Wallace and Jeremy Davidson shoulder to shoulder. They did Irish rugby proud. At their sides were men who yielded not an inch.

Defeated last season for the first time in a Test series on their own soil, the shadows are lengthening for the Springboks, another shudder of apprehension and doubt has rocked them and induced further anxiety.

Newlands was packed to capacity, and anticipation hung in the air that the Springboks would justify their pre-match rating as odds-on favourites. But when it was all over we were left to glory in the pride of Lions whose attitude had galvanised and hardened to meet the challenge. And meet it they did in memorable fashion.

It was a wonderful occasion, a compelling match and on a personal level it took me back through the years to a June afternoon 23 years ago when then as now I sat enthralled. On the same ground the Lions of long ago had also fashioned a great win at this venue. The players from tour rugby nations were united in a common cause and the celebrations among those who had travelled in support of the team comprised a medley that was sweet music to the ears. Molly Malone was carried on a chariot that swung low and Bread of Heaven was united with Flower of Scot/and as the singing split the overcast night-sky over Newlands. It was indeed an occasion for Ole Ole.

It was truly unforgettable as the Lions went into a four-point lead with six minutes remaining. We counted the minutes down and then all anxiety was set aside in the second minute of injury time and all hope lost for the Springboks when left wing Alan Tait received a pass from Neil Jenkins and scored a try in the left corner. Tait raised his arms in celebration and one was enveloped in the warm glow of ecstasy as invariably happens when a famous victory is recorded against the improbable.

The successors of those who gave this great game to the world had restored its pride and proved that rugby north of the equator is not subservient to the boys from Down Under. A great service bad been rendered and some of the best of the old still survives.

This was an occasion when men pushed themselves to the limit of human endurance in pursuit of glory. It was an occasion that money could not buy. It enabled us to forget the unseemly scrambles and squabbles about finance that have tarnished rugby football and sundered longstanding relationships between nations.

Until Tait's try in injury time there was never more than five points between the teams, a situation that underlines the continuing tension. It was not until those heady, hectic closing minutes that the Lions won the match, but that they deserved to win is beyond question. They were better tactically, in many respects technically, and they countered the Springboks in the areas in which they were alleged to be superior - firstly the scrum.

It was here that the Springboks allegedly would win a pronounced superiority. It did not quite work out that way. In the early stages it seemed as if the South Africans would have the Lions in trouble. But their superiority never materialised and Paul Wallace, Keith Wood and Tom Smith more than held their own with man-mountain Os du Randt, Nak Drotske and Adrian Garvey.

In the line-out Jeremy Davidson was quite simply superb. Time after time the ball was called on him and every time he responded as Wood's throwing was so well directed. That could not be said of Drotske. Davidson also did very effective work on the Springboks throws.

The Lions tackled, chased and fought for every ball in the loose, rucked very well and mauled as well if not better than the Springboks. The latter were rarely allowed over the advantage line. The Lions back-row as a unit was excellent and the defence on the fringes was top class. Indeed the defence generally was of the highest quality and the speed into the tackle and to the loose ball was remarkable. Regularly the Lions were there in numbers at the points of breakdown.

Matthew Dawson had a splendid match at scrum half crowned by a try in the 74th minute that was so crucial. Gregor Townsend was steady and Scott Gibbs in the centre tackled with immense effect. Jeremy Guscott had an efficient match; the wings Alan Tait and Ieuan Evans did what they did well. Neil Jenkins may not be totally at ease at full back but he did well and kicked five penalty goals, a crucial contribution.

The Springboks backs were very well contained, none more so than out-half Henry Honiball. He was forced to kick hastily, a task he did not perform well. Scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen is a quality player and looked it, but he could find no room for manoeuvre. The Springboks centres made no impact while Andrew Joubert at full-back had a very poor match.

There was one stroke of good fortune for the Lions in the 58th minute when Springboks replacement, wing Russell Bennett got over the Lions line but the try was disallowed for a forward pass as touch judge Didier Mene gave referee Colin Hawke a signal of the transgression. Had the South Africans got that score the Lions would have been 21-12 down and would have found a way back very hard. But shortly before that a very clear forward pass by the Springboks, a yard from their own line, went undetected and enabled them to clear a perilous situation.

After Edrich Lubbe's early penalty, Jenkins had the first of his five penalties for the Lions who led 9-8 at the interval. The only try of the half came in the 24th minute when du Randt burst over after a line-out. That came after the Springboks kicked the ball to touch from a penalty awarded against Wallace, a decision with which Wallace and Lions captain Martin Johnson very clearly disagreed. Jenkins kicked penalties in the 34th and 36th minutes to give the Lions that one-point interval advantage.

Jenkins added a fourth penalty three minutes after the break to leave the Lions four points in front and then the Springboks struck for a second try scored by Bennett. Teichmann did very well to break a tackle by Gibbs, who to his credit tackled superbly apart from that lapse. Then Honiball kicked a penalty to leave the Springboks leading 16-12 with half an hour to go. Every ball was contested with the utmost vigour and commitment and when Jenkins kicked his fifth penalty in the 62nd minute only a point separated the teams yet again.

Then came the finale that fashioned the destiny of the match. The Lions had a scrum on the right, the ball was won and Dawson broke on the short side. He took the Springboks back row out with a dummy, ran down the right flank and scored wide out. Jenkins hit the upright with the conversion but the Lions led 20-16, six minutes remained and a famous victory beckoned. That try broke the Springboks and the Lions knew it. It was the Lions who did the attacking as the minutes ticked by and then came Tait's moment of glory as the ball was moved right to left and Jenkins was up to give the final pass. Bread of Heaven indeed.