The 1990s - The Times They Were A Changing

Rampant Lions 8

CONTINUING our look at the long history of the Lons, and the Scots who have contributed to the story, we come further up to date, with a look at the 1990s, the decade during which Rugby Union changed out of all recognition – with the bombshell news, in August, 1995, that the game was going “open” and thus fully-professional.

Some thought, professionalism would kill-off the Lions, but, like every quality product, Lions rugby reacted to the change, adapted and came out the other end stronger. The story continues.

THE 1993 Lions tour to New Zealand was the last of the amateur era, and, arguably the most-controversial. By the time the Lions arrived in New Zealand, it was perfectly clear, the leading All Blacks were professionals, but still supposedly amateur.

 The Hastings brothers

Also, the selection had been controversial. The London press pack were not impressed by the fact their media darling, England captain Will Carling was not given the Lions' leadership, which went instead to 1989 tour veteran Gavin Hastings. Big Gav was joined by another 1989 veteran, his younger brother Scott. The Watsonians brothers were the only Scottish backs on the tour, but, following a great end to the international season, the entire Scotland front five: Paul Burnell of London Scottish, Kenny Milne of Heriot's – joining elder brother Iain in becoming a Lion, Peter Wright of Boroughmuir, Andy Reed of Bath and Damian Cronin of London Scottish were picked en bloc.

The tour was shortened, and after losing the first Test to a controversial late penalty, the Lions levelled the series by winning the second, before an All Blacks backlash blew them away in the third and final Test.

Burnell, Milne and Reed had joined skipper Gavin Hastings in the beaten first Test team, but were then dropped in preference for England players. Scott Hastings' tour was a disaster, he had to be flown home after having his cheek bone shattered in the game against Otago.

The Scottish front five were heavily criticised for their performances on the tour. There are suggestions they did not get on with English forwards coach Dick Best, who was assisting Ian McGeechan and with the management focussing on the weekend Test squad, the midweek “dirt trackers” in general and the Scottish forwards in particular, lost focus and were torn assunder by the critics after defeats to Hawkes Bay and Waikato.

There was one other Scot on the tour, scrum-half Andy Nicol of Bath, who was flown-in as a temporary replacement for Rob Jones, and made one cameo appearance off the bench against Taranaki.

In spite of the internal problems, these Lions ran the All Blacks close, but, it was the old story of, close but no cigar.

THE 1997 tour to South Africa was the first of the professional era, and, while the SRU did not cover themselves in glory when the game went professional, the Scots in South Africa in '97 were to the fore in bringing-off the first Lions Test series win there since the 1974 Invincibles.

The determination and planning which pulled this off came from the top, where Ian McGeechan was again entrusted with the coaching job, assisted, as the Scotland team had been, by another former Lion and Lions coach, Jim Telfer.

Fran Cotton, Jim Telfer and Ian McGeechan - the 1997 Lions' management team

Telfer's command of the forwards, memorably emphasised by his: “This is your Everest boys” speech on the eve of the first Test, paved the way for a 2-1 Test series victory, in which four of the six Scots players on the tour all played their part.

After winning his first Scotland caps during the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup, Kelso's Alan Tait had gone over to Rugby League, where he had become a League British Lion. Now back in Union, with Newcastle, he performed brilliantly, out of position on the wing in the first two Test wins, scoring a memorable try in the opening Test.

Gregor Townsend clinched the crucial stand-off role for the first two Tests, before injury kept him out of the third, but, he pulled the strings brilliantly for the Lions.

Jim Telfer delivers his "This is your Everst boys" speech

THE Scot of the tour, however, was loose-head prop Tom Smith. The expectation, particularly among the English media on the tour, was that England's Jason Leonard and Graham Rowntree would be the Test props. Telfer, however, believed the smaller Smith and Paul Wallace of Ireland would better discomfort the giant South African props, by packing lower than them and getting under them. His theory was more than justified by the Test series win, in which Smith played a major role.

Big Doddie Weir began the tour in style and was looking like the likeliest man to lock the Test scrum with skipper Martin Johnstone, when he was seriously injured in his third game and flown home with his knee shattered.

Rob Wainwright, the Army doctor and Scotland back-row forward was the fifth and final Scottish player in the original 35-strong playing party. He played resolutely throughout the tour and was rewarded with a Test spot in the third and final Test.

Hawick winger Tony Stanger, seven years on from his iconic 1990 Grand Slam try against England, was on-tour with Scotland during the Lions; tour so when the Lions needed a replacement winger in a hurry, Tony got the call, making one appearance, against Northern Free State.