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'Lions team was immense in '05': The bizarre regularity that Lions fans still bring up the Umaga tackle over 15 years later
By Sam Smith
As the Lions tour approaches, memories and documentaries of old tours are surfacing to build-up to the special occasion when the Springboks will host the best of the home nations this July.
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The nostalgia is sparking discussions around the notorious 2005 Lions tour, many felt the side ‘underperformed’ under Sir Clive Woodward who fell 3-0 at the hands of a rampant New Zealand side featuring the emergence of Dan Carter as the world’s best player.
Just in case you didn't know: Recently discovered Sky Sports have all the Lions Tour documentaries as well as some of the Test matches in their entirety! So good. Very nostalgic watching them.
The 2005 disaster tour of New Zealand maybe the most interesting one.
— DP Lockhart (The Red Hand) (@dplockhart) May 15, 2021
The most infamous moment of the tour arguably came in the first minute of the first test, when a dangerous clean out by Keven Mealamu and Tana Umaga became a spear tackle on star Irish centre Brian O’Driscoll.
🗣 "I knew pretty much instantly that it was pretty serious"
The injury to @BrianODriscoll was a major moment in 2005
Watch Inside The Lions Den, the 2005 documentary, in full tomorrow night at 10pm on @SkySports Arena#LionsRugby pic.twitter.com/w7d2OYhC7N
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) January 19, 2021
“I was getting lifted, by both legs as it turned out by Mealamu and Tana, both lifted me up a leg a piece and then I got dropped down on my shoulder,” the Lions centre said later in the Lions Den documentary.
“I knew pretty much instantly it was pretty serious.”
The tackle put the Lions captain out of action for the entire series and has been talked about ever since, with some believing that O’Driscoll’s injury was so critical it changed the trajectory of the series for what was an ‘immense’ Lions side.
One fan wrote ‘tour could have been much different’ if Umaga had been sanctioned with a red card. Under today’s rules, a double red card for the All Blacks pair would have been likely.
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Another believed a ‘fit BOD would’ve definitely levelled things up’ for the Lions against the All Blacks throughout the series as he was arguably the ‘best player in the world’ at that point.
Tour could have been much different if Umaga gets red in 1st minute. Lions team was immense in 05 but very poorly managed as you have just said
— Gazlufc (@erskine_gareth) May 15, 2021
Great example of how not to run a Lions tour! Self proclaimed leadership guru, Sir Clive Woodward, is a great example of when someone is most confident in their own ability can be the least competent.
— Peter Lockhart (Ulster Rugby Lad) (@dplockhart) May 15, 2021
Yeah umaga should have been off. He didn’t even apologise after which was poor form. Woodward certainly did very well in 2003 but got carried away with himself and his own importance
— Peter Lockhart (Ulster Rugby Lad) (@dplockhart) May 15, 2021
That tour was a shit-show and I don’t think the Lions were ever beating the ’05 version of Dan Carter, but blimey, a fit BOD would’ve definitely levelled things up a bit!
Nowadays that’s possibly a double red card offense for Umaga and Mealamu— Andrew Foster (@Rocketfoz) January 19, 2021
Greatest disgrace in the history of test rugby was that neither Tana Umaga nor Keven Mealamu were even penalised for the double spear tackle in Jade stadium that took Brian O’Driscoll out of the Lions Tour in first minute of the first test.
— HoneyGold (@IcebergsMelting) November 7, 2020
2005 British & Irish Lions tour, was a disgusting display of a lack of Mana from the ABs. After less than one minute of play New Zealand captain Tana Umaga and hooker Kevan Mealamu spear tackled O’Driscoll, dislocating his shoulder, ending his tour. They both deserved Red cards.
— Nathan Mercer ?? (@nathanm) September 22, 2019
O’Driscoll was arguably the best player in the world at this point. This incident probably decided the test series there and then.
Down there with McRae’s assault on O’Gara as worst lions incident I’ve seen.
— Koboca (@Koboca4) January 19, 2021
Was at the game. Horrendous tackle that was a red card in any other country. B&I Lions never recovered and were hammered.
— Bill Lindsay (@wgl50) January 19, 2021
Very nasty let's also consider the NZ assault on BOD in 2005. The most terrible thing I have ever seen in rugby.
Lions tour was rocked by most vicious assault professional rugby has seen https://t.co/cpIPJbvash
— DM (@patchdennizen) April 29, 2021
After winning the first test 21-3 in Christchurch, the All Blacks emphatically sealed the series in Wellington 48-18 on the back of a 33-point individual haul to Dan Carter. The final test ended with another blowout win to New Zealand, 38-19.
O’Driscoll returned for his third Lions tour in 2009 on the tour of South Africa, and played an influential part in turning the second test into one of the most remembered of all-time.
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The Irish centre was involved in multiple skirmishes with Springbok players and put his body on the line with sickening blows that required medical attention for both players, but the impetus shown by O’Driscoll fuelled the Lions to a near-victory if not for a Ronan O’Gara error in the dying stages.
Another fan wrote that although he was the best of his generation, he ‘was no angel’ on that South Africa tour, ‘out of control’ and ‘borderline thuggish’.
Amazing player, best of his generation.
I just wish all will let the Umaga incident go. The NZ bashing 16 years on is really tiresome.
BOD was also no angel…out of control and borderline thuggish in the Loftus test of the 2009 Lions Tour.
— Jakes Actually (@ActuallyJakes) April 2, 2020
