Warren Gatland put it well when he said the give-them-hell tactics of the Reds against the British and Irish Lions on Saturday night reminded him of those old-fashioned long tours where every province came out to ‘throw everything at the visitors for the first 20 or 30 minutes’.
And judging by the constant roar from the 50,126-strong crowd at the ground, all of them (with the exception of the several thousand Lions supporters) were determined to be what the French call ‘the 16th player’ for the Reds by trying to convert the referee to be more favourable to the home boys.
One of the dramas of touring is that you just don’t know what team, aside from the national side which will be strong, will be the one to knock you off.
The Springboks used to take a mounted springbok head on their long tours to be presented to the first provincial side that defeated them.
New Zealand ancients can still remember the explosion of rugby chauvinism that greeted Waikato’s boots’n all victory over the 1956 Springboks, in their first match of their New Zealand tour after the side had carved through their opposition in Australia.
I was at the 1959 Lions first match of their New Zealand tour at Hawkes Bay, sitting behind the goal-posts. The Bay started off, much like Waikato, with a hiss and roar and stormed through to a try under the posts.
There was a perceptible flow of chatter around the ground as the team’s came back to the halfway mark for the kickoff: The Bay was going to do a Waikato on the Lions!
From the kick-off, Hawkes Bay were penalised just outside the Lions’ 22. The visitors took a tap kick. The ball was moved through a number of pairs of hands until David Hewitt, the greyhound Irish centre, grabbed it and bolted away on a beautiful curving breakout run.
From behind the posts I could see how the arc of Hewitt’s run was taking him around a lumbering forward and inside a winger standing wide.
Moments later, with the defence spread-eagled, Hewitt was dotting the ball under the Hawkes Bay posts.
And that was the end of any pretensions to victory the Hawkes Bay players and their supporters might have had.
It was also for me the beginning of a love affair with Lions rugby: glorious, sometimes graceful, sometimes brutal, always enterprising and adventurous, rugby played with dash, inventiveness and spirit. Some of the greatest players I’ve ever seen played their greatest rugby in the Lions jersey.
It is this glorious ethic of playing the game in the spirit of Rugby School, picking up the ball ‘and running with it’, not kicking it, that makes the Lions tours such wonderful rugby occasions.
Most Roarers have concentrated on the magical and sometimes woeful play of Quade Cooper. But a lot of the magic on display came from Lions players, especially their wingers George North, who is a latter-day Tony O’Reilly with his size and pace, and Tommy Bowe, more elusive, less confrontational in his running, a sort of bigger version of the English genius Peter Jackson – a winger who, along with Hewitt, bedazzled the Hawkes Bay defenders in that 1959 match.
The joy of touring was experienced by Bowe on Saturday night with his glittering play in ripping apart the Reds defence.
But the pain of touring has also been felt by him as he has suffered an injury that puts him out of the tour. Glory and disaster, on the one night.
So Bowe is flying back home and North is playing tonight against the Combined Country at Hunter Stadium in Newcastle.
The Newcastle area, specifically the Hunter River near Maitland, was the scene of one of the saddest rugby touring stories ever recorded.
The team involved was the 1888 British touring side. The details and story of the tragedy are taken from Sean Fagan’s masterly account of the tour, The First Lions (published by Slattery Media Group).
The first Lions were about two-thirds through their 54-match tour, which included AFL matches in Victoria, South Australia and NSW, as well as rugby throughout NSW, Queensland and New Zealand.
The final AFL match of the tour had been played at Maitland. Instead of coming back to Newcastle to prepare for a rugby match a couple of days later, Bob Seddon, the inspiring captain of the side and its best forward, and several other players stayed back in Maitland to go boating on the Hunter River.
Seddon broke away from the boating group and went around a bend of the river, out of sight of the others. Some time later, after Seddon – who was an expert boating man – had not returned they went up the river in search of him.
They were astonished to find Seddon had drowned. He was seen by some witnesses trying to swim safely to the river bank.
“He swam about 15 yards on his back, and then sank twice, the last time for good,” a witness told a local reporter.
One of the promoters of the tour, the famous English cricketer Arthur Shrewsbury, has given us a poignant last memory of Seddon:
“We left him standing outside his hotel at Maitland with no hat upon his head and a cigarette in his mouth, in the very best of health and spirits. It was a most beautiful day, the sun shining out in full splendour and Bob stood looking the very impersonation of perfect happiness and contentment.”
Only hours later, a fellow player, Tom Haslam – the inventor of the dummy pass that confounded opponents on the tour – ran crying into the team’s hotel in Newcastle, “Bob Seddon is drowned.”
Vale Bob Seddon. It would be wonderful if a Lions team 125 years later remembered him and his teammates with perhaps a black armband or a minute’s silence before their match in Newcastle, a town that had a rugby match scheduled for the first Lions but was never played.
The joy, drama and pain of rugby touring in 1888 and still with us in 2013.
Tamworth.
Guest
I also saw the '59 Lions three times in NZ- Wellington, 2nd test and NZ Juniors. Spiro saw Hewitt's first and best game. He scored four tries against Hawkes Bay, and only another four on the remainder of the 32 match tour. He was 19 years of age, 5'9" and 11 1/2 stone! The glamour player of the team was Tony O'Reilly, a tall redheaded winger with very pale legs. The opposite winger was Peter Jackson,(the ghost) skinny with the face of an undertaker but very elusive. Another favourite was Dick Jeeps, a warrior halfback who later became a member of parliament and a prominent fugure in British sport.
Bruce Stewart
Roar Rookie
I also saw the 1959 Lions in NZ - all at Athletic Park- Wellington, NZ & NZ Juniors. A side full of characters. Red headed Tony O'Reilly was the glamour player on the wing with his long pale legs. The other winger, Peter Jackson (the ghost) was a wispy winger also.. Hewitt was interesting - a beautful runner who didn't always make the best decisions, He was 19 on that tour, was 5'9'' and 11 1/2 Stone. Not much was heard from him after that. SHiro saw him in his first tour game< Hawkes Bay. He scored four tries that day, but only another four on the whole tour which was 32 games long. Half back Dick Jeeps was a warrior, and later became a member of parliment, and an influential figure in British sport Bruce Stewart stewartba@bigpond.com
Colin N
Guest
*Wasn't* called up.
Shop
Guest
Shared also by Lithuania!
Colin N
Guest
Cobrisiero's a better technical scrummager, Sheridan's more powerful. I was disappointed that Sheridan was called up after Jenkins went down actually, as I feel his raw power in the set-piece and work around the field would have been useful.
ScotandProud
Guest
Jones AND Corbisiero at scrum time will be a handful. Corbisiero is a better scrummager than Jenkins, Healey and Sheridan.
Parisien
Guest
Well spotted! Isn't that what they call the "milk bar" in New Zealand? I'm off to buy a pint of milk at the dairy. Wish me luck!
dean
Guest
I was just wondering...apart from another great piece from Spiro- is that an intentional spelling mistake in the heading? Is it supposed to be Dairy or Diary?
Geoff Brisbane
Guest
Spiro got to see the Lions at Atheletic Park v NZ the flyhalf was Barry John
Mysonsaremaggots
Roar Rookie
Beating the Lions can spell disaster for the Provinces so watch out Australia , still remember my first Lions Match. Hawks Bay vs The Lions we won 29-16 and we had just been promoted back in to First Division. Can still hear the Roar Now, "the glory days are back" "come on the Bay".everyone was talking about the glory days (1922-1927 1966-1969) for the weeks after that match. we lost every other match that year and were sent straight back 2nd Division.
Colin N
Guest
Robinson didn't really have the edge over Cole if you want to talk about the individual battle, England's problems was Alexander getting in between Marler and Youngs, and therefore putting them under pressure.
Get Real
Guest
great summary
The Sheriff
Guest
Spiro, NSW also beat the Lions 18-14 at the Sports Ground(Alliance Stadium) in 1959. Can't remember the details of the game but recall that I got in free being a current (Subbies) player. Country No 8 Peter Fenwicke led the Waratahs and I think Catchpole, Summons, Len Diett and Jim Lisle made up the inside backs. Unfortunately have lost the program. Country put a few points on the Lions that tour too but we lost both Tests with the usual politics involved in picking the wallabies. Can't see the tahs getting close on Saturday but it would be great if they could hold them, like the Reds.
Ajax
Guest
Mate, the forward pass under the posts wasnt forward, might have been another one in general play??.. sometimes they get called, sometimes they dont ;-) Oh, well, lets wait and see.. is it just me but if QC isn't the Wallabies flyhalf then Toomua is the next cab of the rank?? Whoever it is, he will need to be able to knock the 3 pointers over, given the Lions kickers have been deadly so far (they havnet missed a shot on goal yet have they??)
Nick Turnbull
Roar Guru
Now that would be a good debate no doubt argued over numerous times in numerous rugby clubs all around NZ and do you think there is a definitive answer. Probably not. Both outstanding coaches. Blessed to have them!
richard
Guest
My apologies,it wasn't meant as a dig at you.The Wallabies punched well above their weight considering their resources at the time. As an addendum,Fred Allen saw service in North Africa and Italy and captained the famous NZEF Kiwis in 1945-6,playing in 28 of the 38 games.He then captained the ABs from 1946-9,culminating in the ill-fated tour of SA ( where as you say he tendered his resignation - a true mark of the man).Retiring in 1949,he forged a coaching career which led to him gaining the Ranfurly Shield for Auckland and progressing to the top job in 1966. Our greatest coach,with Sir Ted a close second IMO.
peterlala
Guest
Ian, I agree. Why pontificate over the myth of rugby school. That's a joke that goes all the way to the world cup.
handles
Guest
I have the video going right now, and I can find one no-look pass that went straight to hand, and one simple wrap that did not, and led to a Lions chance. He was also called incorrectly for a forward pass that could have led to and equalising try in the last 15 minutes. Can you point me to the right spot in the game?
handles
Guest
I have had enough of the Cooper debate, but can't help asking for some clarification of "the stupid things" he did on Saturday. I won't cop that the "no look" pass was stupid, it was a simple wrap, exactly the way we coach kids to do it from U-13. There was a lack of communication or a lack of the runner honouring the call, but nobody knows which one of those issues it was except Quade and Beau. He missed touch once from a penalty kick, bad error yes, but stupid? On the forwards, it is hard to tell from Saturday. The scrum actually looked pretty good late in the game with Owen and Anae, so I don't know what to make of that, maybe the Lions decided not to really push their advantage. But on the other side of the equation, one of the keys to good front row play is to have good second rowers! I am not a big fan of Timani around the park, but everyone has picked him as the best scrumming lock, so he will be missed. Horwill appears to be OK, but Simmons will need to lift. It wouldn't really be a surprise to see Douglas start and Simmons as the bench man, if they can solve the lineout calling issue. The Reds lineout was awful, but the reality is that with the third and fourth ranked locks in Queensland, it wasn't a surprise. I love Jake and Ed, but one or both need to develop into a real lineout winner, as Higginbotham did.
Nick Turnbull
Roar Guru
At no stage did I ever refer to the Wallabies being a major force in world rugby during that period. I was just expressing my disagreement with your statement that Rugby in Australia was weak which I suggest is incorrect given those wins over the powerhouses of that era. The Wallabies were en emerging team that were also hampered by internal politics that probably did not heal itself until circa 1974/75 with the introduction of the National Coaching panel of which much credit must be given to Dick Marks and Peter Crittle who featured in the emerging era of the 60's and are both generally considered two of Australia's better rugby players even today. I think Fred Allen is a genious from what I have read and been informed by others about him. What I really liked about him is that I think it was in 1949 when the All Blacks were down 2-0 in the series against the Bok's Allen offered his resignation. Showed he treasured the jumper and the game more than his own ambitions. No wonder he became such a good coach and 'The Needle'. They say he fought bravely in WWII as well. Sounds like an all round good bloke. RIP Fred Allen.