For Rugby Union fans of a certain age, especially in Britain and Ireland, the Barbarians’ 23-11 win over New Zealand in Cardiff in 1973 remains, quite simply, the greatest game they’ve seen.
And as for Gareth Edwards’s opening score, this is just ‘The Try’ and woe betide anyone who suggests they’ve seen anything better.
The players for Saturday’s fixture between the Barbarians and the All Blacks at Twickenham clearly have a lot to live up to but why should a match played 36 years ago still resonate so strongly today?
Well two years before that match, in 1971, the British and Irish Lions had won a Test series in New Zealand for the first time, a monumental achievement for Home Nations rugby.
The 1973 Barbarians side was largely drawn from that victorious Test team with the key exception being that Phil Bennett started at flyhalf instead of Wales predecessor Barry John, who retired in 1972.
The Barbarians have a tradition of playing running rugby and nowhere was that tradition better upheld than with Edwards’s opening score.
Bennett, running back towards his own posts to field a kick from All Black wing Bryan Williams, sidestepped twice in quick succession to evade the challenges of Alistair Scown, Ian Hurst, Peter Whiting and Ian Kirkpatrick.
His pass found JPR Williams who, riding a high tackle from Bryan Williams that would have many a modern referee reaching for his whistle, passed to England hooker John Pullin.
Years later Pullin would joke that the only thing wrong with ‘The Try’ was that an Englishman was involved in what was otherwise an all-Welsh score.
But he in turn found John Dawes, who feinted to pass to John Bevan, only to feed the rampaging and then uncapped flanker Tom David on his inside.
David’s pass was brilliantly taken low down by Derek Quinell and his pass, which appeared intended for Bevan, was taken at top speed by Edwards who dived in at the corner as he evaded the despairing tackle of Grant Batty.
The television match commentator ought to have been Bill McLaren. However, he was ill with ‘flu but in former Wales flyhalf Cliff Morgan, himself a talented broadcaster, they had a fine stand-in.
There are still plenty of fans who can recite Morgan’s commentary, in a match which also featured fine tries from Fergus Slattery, Bevan and JPR Williams, as well a Batty double, word for word.
His assessment of ‘The Try’ and Edwards’s role in it, remains as acute now as it was nearly four decades ago.
“This is Gareth Edwards, a dramatic start, what a score! Oh that fellow Edwards, what can touch a man like that?
“If the greatest writer of the written word would have written that story nobody would believe it. That really was something.”
And it still is
Agree Isi, that was a marvelous game!
Phil Bennett was sitting two rows infront of us at The Shark Tank during the Lions Tour!!
Everyone tried to give him some space and not get ‘in his face’ during the match, but after the game the Lions Fans were saying
“Phil, bring your boots for the next game, we need you out there” !!
Can you believe it – if Ireland went through they would be with South Africa in Group A. England have the easy group and Brazil in group of death
Sorry talking football
I watched that game a few months ago for the 1st time. That was a glorious try, no doubt about it. What struck me most about the match though was how superior today’s game is in terms of player skills, etc. The lineouts in particular back in 1973 looked a real mess. I had forgotten that.
5. Jim – Had you forgotten to put your ‘Rose Tinted Spectacles’ on? 😆
That was one of the best BaaBaas games ever.
Then remember the greatest Lions team was still tour South Africa the next year. 1974 was the best ever British and Irish Lions team to tour here.
3 – Irish,
It is a travesty really that Ireland never went through and France did.
Football has to start thinking about a tv ref like we do in Rugby and Cricket. If they had that Ireland would probably have been playing in that pool against SA.
We not that good at Football so don’t hold much hope for us. Probably be out in the first round. Then who knows playing at home with 90-000 fans with those Vuvuzela things they blow……Phew!! It is going to be very, very loud and noisy the opening game. Hope those that don’t enjoy the Vuvuzela wear ear plugs. Even watching on tv all you will hear is those Vuvuzela’s. They give me a headache……….hehehe. Can not even hear the commentary. So that could pull us through but I have my doubts.
Would have loved Ireland to go have made it instead of France.
It was sometimes known as “The try from the other end of the Earth”
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