As the British and Irish Lions gear up to potentially secure a 3-0 Test series victory against the Wallabies in Sydney, memories of past challenges resurface, notably those from Ian McGeechan’s 1997 series in South Africa. The former Lions coach recently reflected on the peculiar and somewhat outdated demands placed upon his team by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) during that pivotal tour.
Despite clinching the series, McGeechan’s squad faced an additional hurdle as a dozen players were scheduled to immediately continue to Australia for another demanding Test, right after their intense encounters with the Springboks. “
‘An incredible request from the Rugby Football Union. That’s how amateurish some of the thinking was at the time. Our players had given everything in that Test series.’
” McGeechan expressed, highlighting the relentless schedule for players like Richard Hill and Lawrence Dallaglio who barely had time to catch their breath before facing the Wallabies.The 1997 tour not only revealed scheduling follies but also contractual oversights that initially undermined the players’ efforts. The original contracts proposed that players would receive a bonus only if they achieved a clean sweep of all three Tests. Thankfully, tour manager Fran Cotton was able to recalibrate the RFU’s approach. “
‘The challenge was to win the series and that was where the value was.’
” This intervention by Cotton underscored a shift towards acknowledging the true merits of the players’ achievements beyond mere match outcomes.Turning to the present, the Lions' current coach Andy Farrell and his team are poised to make history by completing the first unbeaten tour on foreign soil since 1974, which McGeechan was a part of as a player. The spirit of the Lions is evidently evolving, and as McGeechan noted in his exchanges with Farrell, the dream and legacy of the Lions are only getting stronger.