The Lions' Roar

Every three years, they used to come for the very best,

the rugby opportunity of a lifetime.

All sportsmen wanted to go and play against the best in the world.

You've got to take the one chance. You'll never forgive yourself.

It was our Olympics.

But the land of opportunity was South Africa,

the most violently racist country on earth.

I don't know if it was my naivety.

I didn't know about Nelson Mandela.

Didn't know much about apartheid.

Did we really know the truth? Were we fully aware of what was going on?

They were effectively collaborating with the worst racial tyranny that the world has ever seen

and infected rugby.

This was the tour that was more than a tour.

They would be heroes, but not at first.

Cast as villains, the Lions fought on for themselves

and for others.

We were sick and tired of being beaten up.

There was a euphoric feeling of almost them going into battle for you.

It was more than a result, it was a statement.

They played hard, they partied even more ferociously.

This is the story of the extraordinary tour of '74 when the Lions roared.

What they succeeded in doing was destroying the mud

of the infallibility of the Springboks

and the infallibility of white supremacy.

South Africa in the 1970s,

where racial segregation was enshrined in law.

Apartheid - separate development,

or in other words, the preservation of white minority rule by any means.

The outside world had long protested against apartheid.

Sports teams were urged to stay away, including the Lions.

Still amateur then, but the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

I lived about a mile from where I was born

in the main street in Felinfoel,

a small village about two miles outside Llanelli.

Your family obviously came first

and to be quite honest, rugby was a big second.

I was involved predominantly in sales and marketing.

We were relatively young people.

You trained on Mondays and Thursdays

predominantly with your club

and then for good measure, you trained with Wales, your national side, on the weekend.

I think I'd had six caps and I was just getting onto the stage, really,

but I'd also become head of a PE department

in a state comprehensive.

In the Lions squad of 30, there were 8 Welsh players.

As usual, at the cutting edge of innovation.

I remember training in the school fields in a wetsuit.

It was the month of April, it was pretty cool,

and I was just trying to experience the hot weather training.

It was a goal we all set - although we kept at the back of our minds -

that we could be on one of the most famous trips of all time.

It was going to be an experience of a lifetime.

There was no World Cup in those days.

To go on the Lions tour was the be all and end all for a Welsh rugby player.

The way to combat racialism is to persuade people that it's wrong.

Leading the protest against apartheid, and now the Lions,

was a South African student who had fled his homeland,

Peter Hain.

The frustrating thing about it

was that we'd been able to stop tours coming to Britain

because our direct action tactics of interrupting rugby matches were working.

But what we couldn't do is effectively use the same tactics

to stop a team going.

I was receiving letters from MPs saying, "You mustn't go on this trip."

They were stating their reasons, you'd read through,

and the word apartheid came in all the time.

My advice to them would be that it's rather unwise for them to go.

I don't think it was easy.

I don't want people to think that we were selfish in so much

that we never thought about anything else. We gave it a great deal of thought.

We talked it round as a family

and I said, "What do you think?"

And I talked it round with close friends who'd been on trips

and they said, "You've got to take the chance. You'll never forgive yourself if you don't go."

I didn't know anything about it, I wanted to experience it,

I wanted to become a British Lion

and that's all I was focusing in on and nothing else.

In South Africa, to begin with, things were very clear.

In simple black and white.

80% of the population were against the tour.

We found it unconscionable

to think that a British Lion team

would come to South Africa

while South Africa was on the brink

of extreme violence.

I didn't really look forward to the British Lions

actually coming here because we believed,

as did a lot of South Africans,

that rugby as a sport was the bastion of the oppressor,

the bastion of the apartheid regime.

So many of our people had died in the struggle

that it was indeed insensitive

to play upon the graves of people who had died.

Some players had opted not to go on the tour of 1974.

I had been on the '68 Lions tour

and I kidded myself that we weren't supporting apartheid.

I took on board all the sort of, "We were building bridges."

It was nonsense.

As soon as I got there, I realised it was a mistake.

You'd see black people being kicked around, knocked around.

You saw the fact of white buses and black buses.

You saw people not allowed to walk on the pavements, even.

It was a very weird society.

For the Welsh players who were going on tour,

the long journey was about to begin.

Destination - South Africa, starting point - closer to home.

We met at Bridgend railway station, everyone looking at us.

We were all packed up with our bags.

And then get on the train up to London.

That's what Gareth said to me, he said, "This is the place where you can shine.

"You're going to a country where there are superb rugby connections.

"If you're gonna play rugby anywhere, it's gonna be South Africa."

Phil Bennett headed for London by car,

stopping on the way to pick up steelworker and Pontypool hooker Bobby Windsor.

I picked Bobby up

and he was a real character.

He couldn't wait to get to London, get stuck into training,

and to try his new kit on.

I remember as we were driving into a certain part of London,

we were met by, it seemed, thousands of demonstrators with placards.

They weren't saying very nice things on these placards.

They were throwing things at the car and everything.

It was pandemonium there, really.

We were virtually under house arrest in London because of the demonstrators.

We were confined to our hotel for two or three days.

We had a few functions to go to, but not too much,

because of the political issues.

Outside the hotel, Peter Hain waited to hand over a petition

to Lions captain Willie John McBride.

It was like talking to somebody who was deaf.

It was as if our conversation never met.

I just said to him, "Well, you know, I...

"..understand that you disagree with us,

"but we differ on that.

"I will take this petition and I will talk to the players. That's the best I can do."

He just said he was going to play rugby.

We were saying, I was saying,

"The consequences of you doing that

"will keep Nelson Mandela in prison for longer,

"will keep apartheid oppression for longer

"and will maintain racist rugby in South Africa for longer.

"This is unacceptable."

Under siege in their hotel, it was final decision time.

Willie John had asked us, "Do you want to come on this tour?

"If you don't, I'll think no less of you.

"There's the door. On your way."

I respect anybody's view, but I said,

"If anyone in the room feels that they have made the wrong decision,

"the door is open."

It did prick at my conscience at the time.

Were we doing the right thing? Did we really know the truth?

Were we fully aware of what was going on?

-'Racist rugby...

-We can't bury our heads in the sand, I feel.

'The way to combat racialism is to persuade people that it's wrong.'

It was amazing because you'd have heard a pin drop in that room.

"There's no turning back. You can't say in two weeks,

"'I'm off home.' We've got to be 100% committed to the cause.'"

I knew from that moment on we had 30 men

that were going out there and we were going to be together.

May 7th, 1974.

The Lions landed in Johannesburg.

Disowned by Harold Wilson's government,

snubbed by the embassy,

underrated by their rugby opponents,

the Lions were on their own.

Ahead of them lay three-and-a-half months of rugby.

22 matches. That's more than double the number the Lions of 2009 will play.

18 games for provincial players to soften up the Lions.

Four test matches in Cape Town,

Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, and Johannesburg

for the South African Springboks to destroy them.

No Lions team had won a test series in South Africa

for 78 years.

In all those years, they had been coming here on tour and losing.

Beaten and beaten up.

To take on South Africa now, a new battle plan was drawn up.

The 99. It involved the forwards naturally,

but was also embraced by a young doctor at full back.

If the 99 was called,

you'd hit the nearest one to you,

the premise behind this being that not everyone could get sent off.

The whole attitude was if there's trouble,

everyone pile in.

No-one steps back.

I wasn't going to pile in. Me and Phil Bennett and Andy Irvine,

12 stone little weaklings,

we're not going to step in, but it was the forwards and JPR.

The 99, not as frequently used as legend would have it,

but used.

Between the outbursts of fighting, there was good rugby,

lots of it. Excellent rugby.

The Lions won their first six games.

'Billy Steele coming inside!'

Huge crowds came to sit and watch the games.

Huge white crowds.

But black supporters came, too,

to be segregated and put in cages.

To be confined to a particular little area

that was reserved for non-Europeans exclusively

was an absolute insult.

When the Lions played Western Province,

an impressionable 15-year-old was among the black fans.

It was just great to be close to the players,

the players that you admired then,

but there was a fence between you and the players.

You couldn't go there to touch them,

and that was the main idea - to touch them and get some inspiration from them.

The 1st Test was approaching. The Lions were still unbeaten.

Next, a game against a team called the Proteas.

Now they were dipping their toes in gesture politics.

'A great moment of history in the game of rugby football.

'The first meeting between the British Lions and a non-white team.'

What was everybody saying? It's a token game, etc.

We were talking to the black players we played against

after the game having a beer.

That was the most important thing of their life.

'Roy Bergiers... Bergiers.'

Sure enough the Lions won the game easily,

but was this such a token fixture, a hollow victory?

Not for the captain of the Proteas.

It was important for me to show the quality of my people

because, you must remember,

some of the groupings of the then governing group

told the world that non-whites and blacks don't play rugby, which was nonsense.

It was another chip away from the old apartheid block.

Playing against white people, so to say,

we were showing the local white people who didn't want that

that this is the way the world is

and you must adapt or you will die.

After the game and during the course of their visit here in Cape Town,

I spoke to Willie John and Fergus and I said to them,

"Guys, what are you going to do to the Springboks?"

Willie said, "We're gonna destroy them."

I was happy about that because it was important for us that they be beaten.

Saturday, June 1st.

The 1st Test at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.

The Lions, unbeaten, against the Springboks, hungry.

We were starved of international rugby

so any opportunity for us

to test our strength

against a world-class opposition

obviously would be met with enthusiasm.

Going out at Newlands was the biggest sound I've ever heard.

You had so little support. You felt that the whole nation was against you.

They'd had a downpour for a week in Cape Town beforehand.

I thought, "This could be anywhere in Wales in the middle of our season."

A massive Springbok pack would surely revel in the conditions.

Instead, South Africa were ill-disciplined.

The penalty points mounted for the Lions

and there was an even more telling point about to be made.

There was one scrum in particular

where we were somewhere between our 22 and 10 metre in our own half

and the boys went low into a drive position

and they drove the Springboks back half a yard, a yard,

three yards.

And I could sense the pack getting up and saying, "We've got this!"

It was the first time in Springbok rugby history

where we were confronted by perhaps a physically... more powerful physical pack.

And that was an eye-opener for us.

COMMENTATOR: 'Edwards looks for the long drop at goal.

'He struck it beautifully, and it sails through!

'The Lions leap in the air!

'Their joy unbounded, and rightly so.

'Phil Bennett...tired but delighted.'

Oh, what a feeling! They were not used to losing in their own back yard.

First blood to the Lions, first ring of the alarm bell.

We were under the illusion, perhaps, that we had stayed up with the rest of the world.

Um, we had been out of international rugby, the Test arena, for a few years,

and it really showed.

The Lions celebrated. If their rugby was impressive,

their partying was legendary.

Yes, there were some wild parties, wild nights,

and it was vitally important. There was three-and-a-half months away from family and friends.

On they went, every game a cause for further celebration.

'Bennett switches to Milliken, Milliken still going.

'Milliken to JPR Williams. This time it's a try!

'Milliken is going over...

'And he's scored!'

Not only were we a very good side, we were mentally and physically very strong.

They had no answer to it.

'Tony Neary going for the corner! A dramatic last-second try!'

Everybody was treated the same. There was 30 players

who respected each other, who would die for each other.

The Lions win three more matches, to make it 11 out of 11,

going into the 2nd Test, at altitude, in Pretoria.

Loftus Versfeld, the Afrikaners' heartland,

where something had shifted. The Lions were no longer on their own.

Black rugby followers, who had wanted the tourists to stay away,

were now cheering them on.

When a pattern started emerging, that this particular group of tourists

would be invincible,

that excited us.

We knew the reason that they were not supporting us

because we were part of a system that...was against them.

'Edwards...

'rolling for JJ Williams...

'Williams kicks it on! This could be a try! Williams has scored!'

Any defeat inflicted upon white South Africa

was a source of joy and delight to non-whites.

'JJ Williams, where has he come from? Williams...a yard to go!

'And he's scored!

'Slattery...to Phil Bennett.'

The ball comes to me, with about 50 or 60 metres to go.

-'Look at that acceleration!'

-I'm coming up to the full back

-on the outside.

-I think his stud caught Phil's instep.

I feel this incredible pain in my ankle.

'What a solo effort! Phil Bennett!'

Two men came across cos they'd seen me go down,

and one of them was Willie John McBride.

He said, "Phil, are you OK?" "No, not really." He said, "I need you."

I don't care how painful it is, you can't go off.

He looked down, and blood was pumping everywhere. He says, "Bejesus, it's only a scratch."

Phil Bennett stayed on, cut and battered,

but more than playing his part in the Lions' victory -

more than a victory. 28-9. They had crushed the Springboks.

The results and the importance of beating the Springboks

was making world headlines. And you couldn't help but talk about the rugby

and the implications of it all.

For them to lose at rugby

was almost identical to them losing part of their culture

or part of their superior status or part of their very essence.

The Lions were off for some culture of their own -

five days in Kruger Park game reserve.

Five days of rest and recuperation -

something like that.

We were 2-0 up in the series, we'd gone to Kruger Park - come on, give us a break!

Willie John put Phil on his back, and started running through the bush.

The rangers thought we were mad. They said, "We often have leopards and lions coming to the camp."

Something rolled from the perimeter of the fence of Kruger Park.

There were trees everywhere. And - bang! - I hit my head on a branch.

The tree took Phil's head off, virtually.

I'm shouting, blood pouring here, my leg gone.

Willie John gave me a hand, and he shouted back, "It's every man for himself!"

Out of the park and back to the pitch, where it was business as usual.

'Edwards going for the corner.

'It must be the try.

'And this, a real outburst.

'What unpleasant scenes.

'Edwards...to JJ Williams. Five yards short for Tony Neary.

'He must be there!'

Boet Erasmus stadium, Port Elizabeth,

the Lions one victory away from glory.

We'd come through these games after the 2nd Test,

and now...got to cap it off, 3rd Test, Port Elizabeth.

I think all of us knew the 3rd Test was the most important game, perhaps, of our lives.

We knew we were on the verge of something very special.

Can you be the first side in history to win a Test Series in South Africa?

3-0 up. You're in history. You're in the history books.

All the threads of this tour were about to join together.

This was to be rugby on the REALLY dark side.

I knew from the start we would take no prisoners.

The word went out that we would not...step back at all.

It was important for us that they be beaten

because they didn't represent South Africa, they represented a minority group.

All of us were huddled around a radio.

It was perhaps the first ever British Lions side in history that had gone out there

and said, "We won't be intimidated."

They represented not just the United Kingdom, possibly,

but they represented, to me as a youngster,

something greater than that. They came here and said,

"You might want to be oppressors, but you won't oppress us on the rugby field."

That meant the old cry - 99.

'15 yards out from the Lions' line.

'Going hell for the leather for the line.

'Only three yards short.

'The fists break out.

'And, really, this is a giant free-for-all,

'fitting more for the boxing ring.'

JPR running in, in he goes with his headband on!

I remember, as I was going...

towards the forwards, there was Phil Bennett and Andy Irvine running the other way!

There was a euphoric feeling of almost...

them going into battle for you, that's how it felt. The look of absolute glee

on the faces of my friends around me,

um, was really special.

When the first punch was thrown, all of a sudden South Africa knew

it wasn't going to be one against one or two against two,

that they'd have eight forwards fighting, JPR came in to fight,

and we would stand up and be respected.

That 99 call, I know resonated with me particularly,

because I truly believe the way to stand up to people who bully you

is to band together.

'And again...these unpleasant scenes breaking out.

'Both sides piling in.

'And some of the most appalling scenes one could ever have witnessed

'in a rugby Test match.'

The silence of the crowd was deafening.

They were really showing that Samson had had his hair cut - he's not that strong any more.

I think that, to us, was indicative of..."Hold on, it can change."

'McGeechan to Milliken, out to JJ Williams.

'Williams showing a good turn of speed.

'Flicks it back to JPR. Five yards short, to JJ Williams again!

'He's going to score! JJ Williams!

'The Lions leap in the air!

'A magnificent try!

'JPR Williams...

'running out of defence.

'To Milliken, and he's got JJ Williams.

'JJ Williams chipping through. Runs past Chris Pope.

'It's a race for the line!

'He's got it!

'JJ Williams has done it again!'

What will live with me forever,

in that 3rd Test, JJ scored in two tries.

And I'm looking at JJ scoring two tries, and I'm looking at the blacks.

The whole stand, in that corner, behind the posts,

caged in, and they're doing somersaults and they're dancing and chanting,

and they're going absolutely mad.

And whether it was right or wrong, we - a few of us and Willie John -

went over and just went...to them.

Maybe they believed, "Let's go there and give them a smack.

"Let's give them a taste of their own medicine."

Whether that was true, I don't know, but that's how it felt.

Young, impressionable 16-year-old boy, that's exactly how it felt.

The series was won 3-0,

a simple statistic, but something more complex was stirring across South Africa.

The impact of sport, and particularly rugby, in this instance,

on people in this country, is profound.

And for that team to take a drubbing,

um, reasons are sought, and the selectors are blamed

and the players were blamed, and whatever,

but I think we all came to a pretty quick conclusion,

that part of the reason was this isolation,

that we'd fallen behind. And then the reasons of isolation must be addressed, surely.

The Lions shook off the effects of the party to end all parties

and carried on winning,

all the way to the final Test at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

This would end in a controversial draw, 13-13.

'To McGeechan, to Milliken, JPR Williams in the line.

'Williams still going! Cutting his way through!

'Five years short, to Slattery. Good score!

'Slattery must be there!

'They await the decision of the referee.

'Slattery surely was over.'

The Lions were unbeaten, a great rugby tour was over.

But was that all?

The tour originally was a setback

for the oppressed people of South Africa.

The outcome of the tour

had unintended consequences and benefits for the people of South Africa.

It had a galvanising effect, I think,

on what was initially a negative

to them coming here because we wanted them to be isolationist.

But having left, I think there was a huge amount of respect for the fact they had come here.

A lot of those players inspired a lot of people and a lot of children

and a lot of rugby players to emulate them in the game of rugby.

One would become the first black coach of the national team.

They inspired us.

I decided to come to Wales because I adored the style they were playing rugby.

I drew some energy from what they did.

Another would have a son, one of the stars of the world game,

Brian Habana.

They still are heroes to me, absolute heroes.

I probably feel like a lot of people feel about Brian now, I feel towards them.

And that affinity comes from the 1974 tour.

Apartheid would not end for another 20 years.

South Africa was only two years away from the Soweto uprising.

The tide was turning

and from whichever angle the tour of '74 was viewed,

these rugby players had played a part.

I don't think the Springboks' humiliation at the hands of the British Lions was beneficial

cos the Lions shouldn't have been there. Except to say this:

Why were the Springboks so weak?

It's not just that that British Lions squad was so strong.

The Springboks were weak because we'd stopped them touring.

The Lions weren't so snubbed now.

There's always a little political capital in a success story for the Minister of Sport.

It is a superb achievement these fellas have achieved.

I therefore thought it right,

whatever my views on apartheid and how to deal with it,

that I should acknowledge the superb sporting achievements of the British Lions.

For the players, it had been an extraordinary experience.

I genuinely think the Lions made a difference

because I think what South Africa saw, they weren't the superhuman race they thought they were.

Would I have still gone?

Yes, I think I would have, is the truth. I had to go to experience it.

Do I have any regrets? Not necessarily that I went.

My belief is that in going,

and with the outcome of that tour,

I'd like to think

that it might have made a...

Even if it was a minute contribution

to the breaking down of apartheid.

# Guess I'll keep on ramblin'

# I'm gonna

# Sing my song

# I've gotta find my baby

# I'm gonna ramble on Sing my song... #

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

Email [email protected]