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Great moments in Lions tour history: When the All Blacks were so boring the locals supported the visitors

1959 All Blacks vs Lions

Jamie Wall takes us back to the upside-down world of 1959 when a freewheeling try-scoring Lions side met a conservative kick-happy All Blacks in Dunedin.

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There is an irony in the dour 2017 edition Lions being in Dunedin to play the Highlanders on Tuesday. Fresh from a bruising, unexpected but otherwise pretty boring win (depending on which part of the world you’re from) over the previously unbeaten Crusaders, they now find themselves in a city where the old reputation of the freewheeling, entertaining Lions was born.

It was the first test of the 1959 series that saw the tourists score twice as many tris as the 2017 side have managed on the whole tour so far. But they still didn’t win, despite the fact that the All Blacks didn’t manage to cross their line once.

The All Blacks got home off the boot of legendary fullback Don Clarke, who kicked six penalties for an 18-17 win – back in those day tries were only worth three points.

https://youtu.be/kalBoK-4U7M?t=5m26s

Another thing worth bearing in mind is that the referees back in those days weren’t brought in from overseas. The man in charge that day wasn’t just a kiwi though – Alan Fleury was a Dunedin local controlling a game in front of many people who knew him personally.

The four tries he awarded were highly entertaining. Welshman Malcolm Price bagged a double, Englishman Peter Jackson and Irishman Tony O’Reilly got one each.

It was all set up to be a triumph of running rugby over the dour, kick-happy game of the All Blacks. Except Clarke was nailing his shots from everywhere, most importantly the one that gave the All Blacks the lead with two minutes to go.

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It’s worth mentioning that the stats indicate that Fleury gave out a whopping 20 penalties to each side that day – half that number would be considered a whistle-happy performance in this day and age. It’s not his fault that the tourists couldn’t kick their goals.

However, it meant little to the Dunedin crowd. They turned on him and the All Blacks for what they perceived to be an unfair result. Legend has it they were chanting ‘red, red, red!’ as the clock ticked down and booed when Clarke’s winner went over.

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Yes, that seems a little unbelievable given what rugby is like now. The All Blacks being so boring their own crowd wanted the other team to win? The British being the bastion of entertaining, enterprising rugby? A ref who could have probably walked back to his house after the game?

Saturday night’s result that saw the tourists grind down the Crusaders is probably proof enough that this year’s Lions aren’t going to flick a switch and try and emulate their 1959 counterparts. Especially considering Dunedin hasn’t been the most hospitable city results-wise for them – in addition to the test in 1959, the Lions were thrashed 26-8 by Otago in the midweek game.

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Since then they’ve lost twice more to the local side, including another hiding in 1993. However, they did claim a famous first test win at the old Carisbrook ground on the victorious 1971 tour.

There’s no test at the impressive new Forsyth Barr Stadium on this tour, much to the consternation of the locals. However the way the Lions are playing so far, it’s highly unlikely that if there was the crowd would be switching their allegiance during the game like their grandparents did back in 1959.

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B
BeamMeUp 1 hour ago
The Springboks have something you don't have

A few comments. Firstly, I am a Bok fan and it's been a golden period for us. I hope my fellow Bok fans appreciate this time and know that it cannot last forever, so soak it all in!


The other thing to mention (and this is targeted at Welsh, English and even Aussie supporters who might be feeling somewhat dejected) is that it's easy to forget that just before Rassie Erasmus took over in 2018, the Boks were ranked 7th in the world and I had given up hope we'd ever be world beaters again.


Sport is a fickle thing and Rassie and his team have managed to get right whatever little things it takes to make a mediocre team great. I initially worried his methods might be short-lived (how many times can you raise a person's commitment by talking about his family and his love of his country as a motivator), but he seems to have found a way. After winning in 2019 on what was a very simple game plan, he has taken things up ever year - amazing work which has to be applauded! (Dankie Rassie! Ons wardeer wat jy vir die ondersteuners en die land doen!) (Google translate if you don't understand Afrikaans! 😁)


I don't think people outside South Africa fully comprehend the enormity of the impact seeing black and white, English, Afrikaans and Xhosa and all the other hues playing together does for the country's sense of unity. It's pure joy and happiness.


This autumn tour has been a bit frustrating in that the Boks have won, but never all that convincingly. On the one hand, I'd like to have seen more decisive victories, BUT what Rassie has done is expose a huge number of players to test rugby, whilst also diversifying the way the Boks play (Tony Brown's influence).


This change of both style and personnel has resulted in a lack of cohesion at times and we've lost some of the control, whereas had we been playing our more traditional style, that wouldn't happen. This is partially attributable to the fact that you cannot play Tony Brown's expansive game whilst also having 3 players available at every contact point to clear the defence off the ball. I have enjoyed seeing the Boks play a more exciting, less attritional game, which is a boring, albeit effective spectacle. So, I am happy to be patient, because the end justifies the means (and I trust Rassie!). Hopefully all these players we are blooding will give us incredible options for substitutions come next year's Rugby Championship and of course, the big prize in 2027.


Last point! The game of rugby has never been as exciting as it is now. Any of Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Argentina, Scotland, England & Australia can beat one another. South Africa may be ranked #1, but I wouldn't bet my house in them beating France or New Zealand, and we saw Argentina beating both South Africa and New Zealand this year! That's wonderful for the game and makes the victories we do get all the sweeter. Each win is 100% earned. Long may it last!


Sorry for the long post! 🏉🌍

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