This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2014) |
1997 British Lions tour to South Africa | |
---|---|
Date | 24 May – 5 July |
Coach(es) | ![]() ![]() |
Tour captain(s) | ![]() |
Test series winners | British Lions (2–1) |
Top test point scorer(s) | ![]() |
Lions' top point scorer(s) | ![]() |
Top test try scorer(s) | ![]() |
Lions' top try scorer(s) | ![]() ![]() |
1997 British Lions tour to South Africa | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summary |
| ||||
Total |
| ||||
Test match |
| ||||
Opponent |
| ||||
![]() |
|
The 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa was a series of matches played by the British Lions rugby union team in South Africa. This tour followed the Lions' 1993 tour to New Zealand and preceded their 2001 tour to Australia. The much-anticipated tour was the first after the end of apartheid in South Africa, and the first Lions tour since rugby union turned professional. It was only the third time that a touring side had won a test series in South Africa; the others being the 1974 Lions and the 1996 All Blacks. [1]
A documentary Living with Lions was produced and contains footage of players and coaching staff during and away from matches.
South Africa had won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, but were in decline at the time of the tour. The inaugural Tri Nations in 1996 had been comfortably won by New Zealand with South Africa winning only one of their four matches in the tournament. There was also some disarray in the management of the game in South Africa with the resignation of the coach Andre Markgraaff and the acrimonious replacement of the World Cup-winning captain Francois Pienaar. Nevertheless, the Lions were seen to be underdogs – for example an editorial in the South African sports magazine "SA Sports Illustrated" said "The British Lions arrived in South Africa rated – by their own media, South African media and supporters – as nothing more than rank underdogs. A nice bunch of blokes who were making a bit of history and, in so doing, winning friends rather than matches".
The Lions won the first test at Newlands 25–16 with Neil Jenkins kicking five penalties, and Matt Dawson and Alan Tait scoring tries. Despite scoring three tries in the second test at Durban, the Springboks suffered from some woeful goalkicking and failed to land any penalties or conversions, while the Lions Neil Jenkins once again kicked five penalties to level the scores at 15–15 before a Jerry Guscott drop goal for an 18–15 lead for the Lions. The Lions then held off a ferocious South African fightback, Lawrence Dallaglio putting in a magnificent try-saving tackle, to win the match 18–15 and take the series. The third test at Ellis Park proved a match too far for the Lions squad and they lost 35–16.
The tour was a triumph for the Lions management of Fran Cotton (manager), Ian McGeechan (head coach), Jim Telfer (assistant coach) and especially the Captain Martin Johnson. It was the last occasion on which the Lions returned victorious from a tour until the victorious tour of Australia in 2013.
The original 35-man squad was:
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
24 May | Eastern Province XV | Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth | Won | 39–11 |
28 May | Border | Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London | Won | 18–14 |
31 May | Western Province | Newlands, Cape Town | Won | 38–21 |
4 June | Mpumalanga | Johann van Riebeeck Stadium, Witbank | Won | 64–14 |
7 June | Northern Transvaal | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Lost | 30–35 |
11 June | Gauteng Lions | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Won | 20–14 |
14 June | Sharks | King's Park, Durban | Won | 42–12 |
17 June | Emerging Springboks | Boland Stadium, Wellington | Won | 51–22 |
21 June | South Africa | Newlands, Cape Town | Won | 25–16 |
24 June | Free State | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | Won | 52–30 |
28 June | South Africa | King's Park, Durban | Won | 18–15 |
1 July | Northern Free State | Noord-wes Stadium, Welkom | Won | 67–39 |
5 July | South Africa | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Lost | 16–35 |
21 June 1997 |
South Africa ![]() | 16–25 | ![]() |
Try: Du Randt 23' m Bennett 44' m Pen: Lubbe (1/1) 3' Honiball (1/1) 50' | Report | Try: Dawson 73' m Tait 79' m Pen: Jenkins (5/6) 6', 33', 35', 43', 62' |
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town Referee: Colin Hawke (New Zealand) |
|
|
28 June 1997 |
South Africa ![]() | 15–18 | ![]() |
Try: Van der Westhuizen Montgomery Joubert | Report | Pen: Jenkins (5) Drop: Guscott |
Kings Park Stadium, Durban Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Didier Mene (France) |
|
|
5 July 1997 |
South Africa ![]() | 35–16 | ![]() |
Try: Van der Westhuizen Montgomery Snyman Rossouw Con: De Beer (2) Honiball Pen: De Beer (3) | Report | Try: Dawson Con: Jenkins Pen: Jenkins(3) |
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Attendance: 62,000 Referee: Wayne Erickson (Australia) |
|
|
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national team, although they can pick uncapped players who are eligible for any of the four unions. The team currently tours every four years, with these rotating between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in order. The most recent test series, the 2021 series against South Africa, was won 2–1 by South Africa.
Martin Osborne Johnson CBE is an English retired rugby union player who represented and captained England and Leicester in a career spanning 16 seasons. He captained England to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and is regarded as one of the greatest locks ever to have played, and one of England's greatest ever players.
Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, is an English former rugby union player. A fly-half, he played for Newcastle Falcons and Toulon and represented England and the British & Irish Lions. He is particularly known for scoring the winning drop goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final and is widely acknowledged as one of the best rugby union players of all time.
The Australia national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of Australia. The team first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first test match against the touring British Isles team.
Neil Antony Back MBE is a former international rugby union footballer for England and the British & Irish Lions who also played for Nottingham RFC, Leicester Tigers, and captained both England and Leicester during his career.
Jeremy Clayton Guscott is a British former rugby union outside centre who played for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions. He also appeared for England on the wing.
In 2005, the British & Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing seven matches against first and second division teams from the National Provincial Championship, one match against the New Zealand Maori team, and three test matches against New Zealand. The Lions lost the test series 3-0, the first time in 22 years that they lost every test match on tour.
Neil Jenkins, is a Welsh former rugby union player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British & Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever points-scorer and is the fifth highest on the List of leading rugby union test point scorers. He was the first player to score 1,000 points in international matches.
Jason Leonard is an English former rugby union player. He won a then-record 114 caps for England men’s rugby team during a 14-year international career.
David Ian Campese, AM, also known as Campo, is a former Australian rugby union player (1982–1996), who was capped by the Wallabies 101 times, and played 85 Tests at wing and 16 at fullback.
The 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia was a series of matches played by the British & Irish Lions rugby union team in Australia.
Stephen Michael Jones is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player who played primarily at fly-half. He played more than 100 times for Wales and six times for the British & Irish Lions.
Warren David Gatland is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player who is the head coach of the Wales national team.
The 2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour which took place in South Africa from May to July 2009.
Stephen Leigh Halfpenny is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a fullback or wing for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. Halfpenny is the third highest points scorer for Wales after Neil Jenkins and Stephen Jones.
Owen Andrew O'Loughlin Farrell is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Premiership Rugby club Saracens and captains the England national team.
The 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia was a rugby union tour during June and July 2013. The British & Irish Lions played ten matches - a three-test series against Australia, and matches against the five Australian Super Rugby sides, a Combined New South Wales–Queensland Country team, and a match en route to Australia against the Barbarians.
The British & Irish Lions toured New Zealand during June and July 2017. The Lions, a rugby union team selected from players eligible to represent England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, played ten matches: against all five New Zealand Super Rugby franchises, the NZ Provincial Barbarians, the Māori All Blacks and three test matches against New Zealand.
The History of the South Africa national rugby union team dates back to 1891, when the British Lions first toured South Africa where they played against South African representative sides. The South Africa national rugby union team played few international matches during a period of international sanctions due to apartheid. Since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has once again fully participated in international rugby.
The 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour that took place in South Africa in July and August 2021. The British & Irish Lions, a team selected from players eligible to represent England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, played a three-match test series against South Africa, and tour matches against three of South Africa's four United Rugby Championship teams and South Africa A.