1980 British Lions tour to South Africa

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1980 British Lions tour to South Africa
Date10 May – 12 July
Coach(es) IRFU flag.svg Noel Murphy
Tour captain(s) Flag of England.svg Bill Beaumont
Test series winnersFlag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg  South Africa (1–3)
Top test point scorer(s) IRFU flag.svg Tony Ward (18)
1980 British Lions tour to South Africa
Summary
PWDL
Total
18 150003
Test match
04010003
Opponent
PWDL
Flag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg  South Africa
4 1 0 3

In 1980 the British Lions rugby union team toured South Africa (including one game in Windhoek, South West Africa, the future Namibia). The tour was not a success for the Lions, as they lost the first three tests before salvaging some pride with a win in the fourth. The team did however win all their 14 non-international matches. The Lions were captained by Bill Beaumont.

Contents

Political controversy

The tour went ahead in the face of opposition from the British Government and groups opposed to sporting contact with the apartheid regime in South Africa. Britain was a signatory to the 1977 Gleneagles Agreement in which Commonwealth governments agreed to discourage sporting contacts with South Africa. The Government of the Republic of Ireland were also against the tour. The Four Home Unions committee which organises Lions tours decided to go ahead with the planned tour, despite this opposition, in November 1979 and the rugby unions of England (RFU), Ireland (IRFU), Scotland (SRU) and Wales (WRU) all approved the tour by January 1980.

Touring party, injuries and replacements

Of the 30 players originally selected, ten had previous Lions tour experience. Derek Quinnell had toured New Zealand in 1971 and 1977; Andy Irvine and Fran Cotton had toured South Africa in 1974 and New Zealand in 1977 while Bruce Hay, Bill Beaumont, Allan Martin, Graham Price, Jeff Squire, Peter Wheeler and Clive Williams had all toured New Zealand in 1977. Elgan Rees, added to the party before it left the UK, and Phil Orr, a replacement during the tour, had also toured in 1977. Quinnell was selected despite not playing in the 1980 Five Nations Championship; he had also toured in 1971 when yet to be capped by Wales.

The tour party was disrupted by an unusually high number of injuries and replacements throughout the 10-week-long tour. Eight players flew to South Africa to reinforce the original 30 tourists; Gareth Williams, Tony Ward, Ian Stephens, John Robbie, Phil Orr, Andy Irvine, Paul Dodge and Steve Smith.

Smith joined the tour as cover prior to the final test after Patterson was injured and did not appear in any games. Irvine was in the original 30 selected tourists but withdrew due to injury prior to leaving the UK. He was replaced by Elgan Rees but joined the tour later when Slemen withdrew.

Nine players left the tour early, including Mike Slemen who went home due to family illness. The eight players who were ruled out by injury were Rodney O'Donnell (neck), David Richards (shoulder), Gareth Davies (shoulder and knee), Terry Holmes (shoulder and knee), Stuart Lane (knee), Phil Blakeway (rib) and Fran Cotton (suspected heart trouble). Lane's injury occurred after 55 seconds of the opening game and gave him the shortest career of any Lions tourist. He never played international rugby again. O'Donnell's neck injury ended his rugby career completely. Colin Patterson suffered a knee injury in the penultimate game against Griqualand West which also proved career-ending. [1]

Squad

Management

Backs

Fullbacks

Wings

Centres

Fly-halves

Scrum-halves

Forwards

Hookers

Props

Locks

Back row

Schedule

MatchDateOpponentLocationResultScore
Match 1 10 May Eastern Province Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port ElizabethWon16–28
Match 2 14 May SARA Invitation XV Border RU Ground, East LondonWon6–28
Match 3 17 May Natal Kings Park Stadium, DurbanWon15–21
Match 4 21 MaySouth African Invitation XV Olën Park, PotchefstroomWon19–22
Match 5 24 May Orange Free State Free State Stadium, BloemfonteinWon17–21
Match 6 27 May South African Rugby Football Federation Invitation XV Danie Craven Stadium, StellenboschWon6–15
Match 7 31 May South Africa Newlands Stadium, Cape TownLost26–22
Match 8 4 June South African Country Districts XV South West Stadium, Windhoek Won7–27
Match 9 7 June Transvaal Wanderers Stadium, JohannesburgWon12–32
Match 10 10 June Eastern Transvaal Pam Brink Stadium, SpringWon15–21
Match 11 14 June South Africa Free State Stadium, BloemfonteinLost26–19
Match 12 18 June Junior Springboks Wanderers Stadium, JohannesburgWon6–17
Match 13 21 June Northern Transvaal Loftus Versfeld Stadium, PretoriaWon9–16
Match 14 28 June South Africa Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port ElizabethLost12–10
Match 15 2 July South African Barbarians Kings Park Stadium, DurbanWon14–25
Match 16 5 July Western Province Newlands Stadium, Cape TownWon6–37
Match 17 8 July Griqualand West De Beers Stadium, Kimberley Won19–23
Match 18 12 July South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium, PretoriaWon13–17

Results

First Test

31 May 1980
South Africa  Flag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg26–22 British Lions
Try: Louw c
W. du Plessis c
Van Heerden
Germishuys c
Serfontein
Con: Botha (3)		Report [2] Try: Price
Pen: Ward (5)
Drop: Ward
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
Attendance: 38,170
Referee: F. Palmade (France)

South Africa: Gysie Pienaar, Ray Mordt, David Smith, Willie du Plessis, Gerrie Germishuys, Naas Botha, Divan Serfontein, Morne du Plessis (c), Theuns Stofberg, Rob Louw, Louis Moolman, Moaner van Heerden, Martiens le Roux, Willie Kahts, Richard Prentis

Lions: O'Donnell, Carleton (replaced by Gravell), Richards, Renwick, Slemen, Ward, Patterson, Quinnell, O'Driscoll, Squire, Colclough, Beaumont (c), Price, Wheeler, Williams

Second Test

14 June 1980
South Africa  Flag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg26–19 British Lions
Try: Louw
Stofberg c
Germishuys
Pienaar c
Con: Botha (2)
Pen: Botha (2)		Report [3] Try: O'Driscoll c
Gravell
Con: Davies
Pen: Davies (2)
Irvine
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Attendance: 57,159
Referee: F. Palmade (France)

South Africa: Gysie Pienaar, Ray Mordt, David Smith, Willie du Plessis, Gerrie Germishuys, Naas Botha, Divan Serfontein, Morné du Plessis (c), Theuns Stofberg, Rob Louw (replaced by Thys Burger), Louis Moolman, Kevin de Klerk, Martiens le Roux, Willie Kahts, Richard Prentis

Lions: Irvine, Carleton, Gravell, Woodward, Hay, Davies (replaced by Campbell), Patterson, Quinnell, O'Driscoll, Squire, Colclough, Beaumont (c), Price, Wheeler, Williams

Third Test

28 June 1980
South Africa  Flag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg12–10 British Lions
Try: Germishuys c
Con: Botha
Pen: Botha
Drop: Botha 		Report [4] Try: Hay
Pen: Campbell (2)
Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Attendance: 49,250
Referee: J.-P. Bonnet (France)

South Africa: Gysie Pienaar, Ray Mordt, David Smith, Willie du Plessis, Gerrie Germishuys, Naas Botha, Divan Serfontein, Morné du Plessis (c), Theuns Stofberg, Rob Louw, Louis Moolman, Moaner van Heerden, Martiens le Roux, Willie Kahts (replaced by Ewoud Malan), Richard Prentis

Lions: Irvine, Woodward, Gravell, Dodge, Hay, Campbell, Patterson, Squire, O'Driscoll, Tucker, Colclough, Beaumont (c), Price, Wheeler, Williams

Fourth Test

12 July 1980
South Africa  Flag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg13–17 British Lions
Try: W. du Plessis
Pen: Pienaar (2)
Botha 		Report [5] Try: C. Williams
Irvine
O'Driscoll c
Con: Campbell
Pen: Campbell
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Attendance: 68,000
Referee: J.-P. Bonnet (France)

South Africa: Gysie Pienaar, Ray Mordt, David Smith, Willie du Plessis, Gerrie Germishuys, Naas Botha, Divan Serfontein, Morné du Plessis (c), Theuns Stofberg, Rob Louw, Louis Moolman, Moaner van Heerden, Martiens le Roux, Ewoud Malan, Richard Prentis

Lions: Irvine, Carleton, Gravell, Dodge, Hay, Campbell, Robbie, Squire, O'Driscoll, Tucker, Colclough, Beaumont (c), Price, Wheeler, Williams

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References

  1. ↑ "WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Colin Patterson (born March 3, 1955)". www.independent.ie. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "South Africa v British and Irish Lions". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "South Africa v British and Irish Lions". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "South Africa v British and Irish Lions". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "South Africa v British and Irish Lions". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
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