Battling the Lions: 1977

Few touring sides to New Zealand have been as enigmatic as the 1977 Lions, for despite having enormous ability and strength, especially in the forwards, they failed to reach their potential.

The Lions won 21 of their 25 matches, the only loss outside the test series being a 21-9 upset to New Zealand Universities at Lancaster Park.

The Lions were generally recalled as a dour bunch and there was widespread criticism that manager George Burrell and coach John Dawes handicapped the side with their lack of a sense of humour.

Perhaps, however, the Lions had cause for some of their sourness. The weather for most of 1977 was unkind and uncommonly wet.

And some of the more garish tabloids were less than charitable to the Lions, too, with one lady of the night gaining headlines with her claim, after allegedly bedding some of them, that the Lions were lousy lovers.

But there were losses in the first, third and fourth tests and so a series, which at least should have been drawn, was lost. Unlike their 1959 predecessors, who suffered some cruel luck in achieving a similar record, the Lions of 1977 were largely the authors of their own misfortune.

In particular, how they lost the fourth test at Eden Park after appearing to be by far the stronger side is one of international rugby's great mysteries.

Such was the dominance of the Lions forwards, especially in scrums, that the All Blacks resorted to packing down just three men. Yet despite having all the ball and making almost all the play, the Lions could only score one try and failed with a number of shots at goal, at least two of which were from comfortable distances.

Other than the Scottish fullback Andy Irvine and occasionally the first five eighths and captain Phil Bennett, the Lions of 1977 seemed to have totally lost the backline flair and inventiveness which had been such a feature of the sides of 1950, 1959 and 1971.

A charge made by critics on both sides was that the Lions suffered because the management took life far too seriously.

Dawes had been a successful captain in 1971 but six years on, his aloof manner could not get the best out of his players in the way Carywn James had managed in 1971.

Even more curious was the fact that the 1977 Lions contained Dawes' great midfield partner from 1971, Ireland's Mike Gibson.

Though now 34, he still appeared more thrustful than some of the other backs but inexplicably, he was passed over for all the important matches.

Despite having ability as a player, Bennett was a strange choice for captain and the longer the tour went his confidence evaporated. The 1977 Lions did have a fine pack and champion forwards in Fran Cotton, Peter Wheeler, Graham Price, Bill Beaumont, Gordon Brown, Derek Quinnell and Tony Neary.

But their quality was not enough to offset the lacklustre backs.

As in 1959, it was a series win which gave New Zealanders only qualified satisfaction. Because a couple of the All Black tries - those of Grant Batty and Brad Johnstone - were a little freakish, there was a fair measure of luck in the first test win and a decisive loss in a bitter, illtempered second test at Lancaster Park. Only in the third test at Carisbrook, when Graham Mourie made his test debut, were the All Blacks on top of their game.

For much of the series there was a lack of confidence - reflected in the fact that 24 players were used in the four tests, with no fewer than 13 backs chosen. Among those dropped halfway through was the famous halfback Sid Going, who was nearing 34 years old.

Incredibly, his replacement for the last two tests, Lyn Davis, was the same age.