Birth name | Stuart Morris Lane | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 12 November 1952 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Tredegar, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 92 kg (14 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Tredegar Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | Cardiff College of Education | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | teacher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stuart Lane (born 12 November 1952) is a former Wales international rugby union player. In 1980 he toured South Africa with the British and Irish Lions and at the time played club rugby for Cardiff RFC.
Lane holds the unfortunate record of the shortest career of any Lions tourist, having been injured in the first minute of the opening game of the 1980 tour. This injury was a blow to the tourists as it was felt that the pace Lane could have provided in the breakaway positions would have been a strong asset for the Lions. [1] He still lives in Tredegar and is part owner of Rhyd Hall.
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 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.
The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks, is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jerseys with white shorts, and their emblem is the Springbok, a native antelope and the national animal of South Africa. The team has represented South African Rugby Union in international rugby union since 30 July 1891, when they played their first test match against a British Isles touring team. Currently, the Springboks are the reigning World Champions, having won the World Cup a record four times. South Africa have won half of the Rugby World Cups they have participated in and are also the second nation to win the World Cup consecutively.
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David "Dai" Richards is a former Welsh international rugby union player. In 1980 he toured South Africa with the British Lions and at the time played club rugby for Swansea.
Gareth Powell Williams was a Wales international rugby union player who played club rugby for Bridgend RFC. In 1980, he toured South Africa with the British Lions as a replacement for the injured Stuart Lane.
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John Hammond was an English rugby union forward who, although not capped for England, was part of three British Lions tours, all to South Africa. He gained three caps during the 1891 tour to South Africa and captained the 1896 tour, winning another two test caps. Although not part of the 1899 tour to Australia, he was made the manager of the 1903 tour. Despite captaining the British Isles, Hammond never represented England.
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Ernest Raymond "Roy" John was a Wales and British Lions international rugby union lock. He played club rugby for Crynant and Neath. John was capped 19 times for Wales and was a member of two Grand Slam winning teams. In 1950 he was selected for the 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia. John was an agile runner for a lock, but was most notable for his excellent ability in line-outs.
Rugby union and apartheid had a complex and supportive relationship. From 1948 to 1994, international rugby relations with the country, and also the non-integrated nature of rugby within South Africa drew frequent controversy. South Africa remained a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) throughout the apartheid era.