1980 British Lions tour to South Africa

In 1980 the British Lions rugby union team toured South Africa. The tour was not a success in terms of international results, the Lions losing 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 side was captained by Bill Beaumont.

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. 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 U.K., 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 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, 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.

Squad

Management

• Manager Syd Millar (Ireland)
• Coach Noel Murphy (Ireland)
• Doctor Jack Matthews (Wales)

Backs

• Rodney O'Donnell (St. Mary's College and Ireland))
• Bruce Hay (Boroughmuir and Scotland)
• Andy Irvine (Heriots FP and Scotland)
• Mike Slemen (Liverpool and England)
• John Carleton (Orrell and England)
• Elgan Rees (Neath and Wales)
• Paul Dodge (Leicester and England)
• Jim Renwick (Hawick and Scotland)
• Ray Gravell (Llanelli and Wales)
• David Richards (Swansea and Wales)
• Clive Woodward (Leicester and England)
• Peter Morgan (Llanelli and Wales)
• Gareth Davies (Cardiff and Wales)
• Ollie Campbell (Old Belvedere and Ireland)
• Tony Ward (Garryowen and Ireland)
• Terry Holmes (Cardiff and Wales)
• Colin Patterson (Instonians and Ireland)
• John Robbie (Greystones RFC and Ireland)
• Steve Smith (Sale and England)

Forwards

• Bill Beaumont (capt) (Fylde and England)
• Fran Cotton (Sale and England)
• Clive Williams (Swansea and Wales)
• Ian Stephens (Bridgend and Wales)
• Phil Orr (Old Wesley and Ireland)
• Graham Price (Pontypool and Wales)
• Phil Blakeway (Gloucester and England)
• Peter Wheeler (Leicester and England)
• Alan Phillips (Cardiff and Wales)
• Maurice Colclough (Angouleme and England)
• Alan Tomes (Hawick and Scotland)
• Allan Martin (Aberavon and Wales)
• John O'Driscoll (London Irish and Ireland)
• Colm Tucker (Shannon and Ireland)
• Jeff Squire (Pontypool and Wales)
• Stuart Lane (Cardiff and Wales)
• Derek Quinnell (Llanelli and Wales)
• John Beattie (Glasgow Academicals and Scotland)
• Gareth Williams (Bridgend and Wales)

Results

	Date	Opponent	Location	Result	Score
Match 1	10 May	Eastern Province	Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth	Won	16-28
Match 2	14 May	S.A.R.A. Invitation XV	Border RU Ground, East London	Won	6-28
Match 3	17 May	Natal	Kings Park Stadium, Durban	Won	15-21
Match 4	21 May	South African Invitation XV	Olën Park, Potchefstroom	Won	19–22
Match 5	24 May	Orange Free State	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein	Won	17-21
Match 6	27 May	South African Federation Invitation XV	Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch	Won	6-15
Match 7	31 May	South Africa	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town	Lost	26–22
Match 8	4 June	South African Country XV	South West Stadium, Windhoek	Won	7-27
Match 9	7 June	Transvaal	Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg	Won	12–32
Match 10	10 June	Eastern Transvaal	Pam Brink Stadium, Spring	Won	15–21
Match 11	14 June	South Africa	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein	Lost	26–19
Match 12	18 June	Junior Springboks	Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg	Won	6–17
Match 13	21 June	Northern Transvaal	Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria	Won	9–16
Match 14	28 June	South Africa	Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth	Lost	12–10
Match 15	2 July	South African Barbarians	Kings Park Stadium, Durban	Won	14–25
Match 16	5 July	Western Province	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town	Won	6–37
Match 17	8 July	Griqualand West	de Beers Stadium, Kimberley	Won	19–23
Match 18	12 July	South Africa	Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria	Won	13–17

The matches

First Test

SOUTH AFRICA; ZMJ Pienaar (OFS), RH Mordt (Zim), DJ Smith (Zim), W du Plessis (WP), JS Germishuys (Tvl), HE Botha (NT), DJ Serfontein (WP), M du Plessis (WP, cpt), MTS Stofberg (NT), LC Moolman (NT), JL van Heerden (Tvl), RJ Louw (WP), M le Roux (OFS), WJH Kahts (NT), RB Prentis (Tvl)

LIONS; O'Donnell, Carleton (rep Gravell), Richards, Renwick, Slemen, Ward, Patterson, Quinnell, O'Driscoll, Beaumont (cpt), Colclough, Squire, Price, Wheeler, C Williams.

Second Test

SOUTH AFRICA; ZMJ Pienaar (OFS), RH Mordt (Zim), DJ Smith (Zim), W du Plessis (WP), JS Germishuys (Tvl), HE Botha (NT), DJ Serfontein (WP), M du Plessis (WP, cpt), MTS Stofberg (NT), LC Moolman (NT), KBH de Klerk (Tvl), RJ Louw (WP) (rep T Burger (NT), M le Roux (OFS), WJH Kahts (NT), RB Prentis (Tvl)

LIONS; Irvine, Carleton, Gravell, Woodward, Hay, Davies (rep Campbell), Patterson, Quinnell, O'Driscoll, Beaumont (cpt), Colclough, Squire, Price, Wheeler, C Williams.

Third Test

SOUTH AFRICA; ZMJ Pienaar (OFS), RH Mordt (Zim), DJ Smith (Zim), W du Plessis (WP), JS Germishuys (Tvl), HE Botha (NT), DJ Serfontein (WP), M du Plessis (WP, cpt), MTS Stofberg (NT), LC Moolman (NT), JL van Heerden (Tvl), RJ Louw (WP) (rep T Burger (NT), M le Roux (OFS), WJH Kahts (NT), RB Prentis (Tvl)

LIONS; Irvine, Woodward, Gravell, Dodge, Hay, Campbell, Patterson, Squire, O'Driscoll, Beaumont (cpt), Colclough, Tucker, Price, Wheeler, C Williams.

Fourth Test

SOUTH AFRICA; ZMJ Pienaar (OFS), RH Mordt (Zim), DJ Smith (Zim), W du Plessis (WP), JS Germishuys (Tvl), HE Botha (NT), DJ Serfontein (WP), M du Plessis (WP, cpt), MTS Stofberg (NT), LC Moolman (NT), JL van Heerden (Tvl), RJ Louw (WP) (rep T Burger (NT), M le Roux (OFS), WE Malan (NT), RB Prentis (Tvl)

LIONS; Irvine, Carleton, Gravell, Dodge, Hay, Campbell, Robbie, Squire, O'Driscoll, Beaumont (cpt), Colclough, Tucker, Price, Wheeler, C Williams.

References

• Carwyn James and Chris Rea (1980) Injured pride: the Lions in South Africa (Arthur Barker)
• Hopkins, John (1980). British Lions 1980. World's Work Ltd.
• Jenkins, Vivian (1982). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1981-82. Rothmans Publications Ltd.

External links