Lions in South Africa 1997 - Part Two

Total Rugby looking back at what made the 1997 Lions so successful

[@pattate9636]

RIP Joost. A true hero of the game, god bless from England.

[@fuzzy1237]

Best player I ever saw Had the pleasure of watching him destroy England at hq All us England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 fans knew he was special

[@rabo9]

i remember absolutely HATING van der Westhuizen when he played (I'm English!), and as soon as he retired - missed watching him scrap and snipe, and now he's one of my favourite players to look back at.. wishing him all the best at the moment too

[@ryko26]

Scott Gibbs - what a player (and I'm English)!!!!

[@SD78]

Scott Gibbs was a human wrecking machine.

[@s00065705]

Wood absolutely dying after that kick and chase

[@oliprj8676]

Without Jenkins and Gibbs the lions would never had won the series. What a superb coaching team Telfer and McGeechan were also

[@bluerock9238]

“As he walked past du Randt after the tackle, Gibbsy shouted over: ‘Get up, you fat b*****d’,” John Bentley, who played on the wing for the Lions that day, informed WalesOnline. “It was a moment you won’t forget in a hurry. “Gibbsy ran the ball forward and there was a huge collision between him and this massive South African. “One of them stayed on his feet, the other one needed attention. “There were many moments in that game that were important. “But when you play South Africa their forwards like to set the tone, so it’s impossible to overstate the significance of an opposition centre dumping a Springbok prop onto his backside. “It doesn’t happen often. “But it did that day.” Gibbs wrote in his book, Getting Physical: “People have since said to me that I could have side-stepped him, but I couldn’t. “It obviously made an impact on the people who saw it, because so many now come up to me and want to talk about it. “Perhaps that moment lifted the guys, but you don’t really know at the time. Certainly no one came up and gave me a pat on the back. It was just another small victory over the South Africans, another one biting the dust.” Staying modest, he has since said: “The biggest factor in that Test series wasn’t my run. It was that somebody called Neil Jenkins kicked South Africa out of the game. “He, more than anybody else, was the totem of that tour and won that Test series. I certainly didn’t with one run and a couple of tackles.”

[@MKRM27]

With only 13 players, the Lions would have struggled - I agree. Replace them with others, and we’ll never know.

[@davidthomas450]

Fair play to big ost du rant. Rugby when you play it is so important and you try your utmost to win but at the end of the day you have to thrive to be a better human being so nice one big fella

[@borisstarling7661]

Fantastic player. For my money, the best scrum-half since Edwards. Back rows must have hated playing against him: and remember too it was his tackle on Lomu early in the 95 final which set the Boks' stall out. So sad what's happening to him now.

[@happygilmore7115]

Totally agree with you he had everything on the pitch.

[@Moggy471]

Oz is exacly what rugby sould be. Hard man on the pitch gracious man off it. Probaly liked a beer or two. A good fella. Respect from England.

[@charlesbrown4802]

beautful sport, you can get so much inspiration for life from these guys

[@jsbach40]

SA always give a good game. THey are a class side and even though I'm a die-hard Lions fan for me SA are a truly brilliant side to watch.

[@schnozz87]

Scott Gibbs' nickname: Car Crash.

[@GodSaveOurTeam]

A great composite Lions team - few stars, but great combinations: the Wood-Wallace-Smith front row; Dawson & Townsend; Guscott & Gibbs etc. All the home nations well represented.

[@grandslam1998]

Neil Jenkins Super Star.

[@doylustheboy]

ryko26 - yep, ditto both comments, Os du Randt vs Gibbs still makes me laugh all these years later.......

[@bluerock9238]

“As he walked past du Randt after the tackle, Gibbsy shouted over: ‘Get up, you fat b*****d’,” John Bentley, who played on the wing for the Lions that day, informed WalesOnline. “It was a moment you won’t forget in a hurry. “Gibbsy ran the ball forward and there was a huge collision between him and this massive South African. “One of them stayed on his feet, the other one needed attention. “There were many moments in that game that were important. “But when you play South Africa their forwards like to set the tone, so it’s impossible to overstate the significance of an opposition centre dumping a Springbok prop onto his backside. “It doesn’t happen often. “But it did that day.” Gibbs wrote in his book, Getting Physical: “People have since said to me that I could have side-stepped him, but I couldn’t. “It obviously made an impact on the people who saw it, because so many now come up to me and want to talk about it. “Perhaps that moment lifted the guys, but you don’t really know at the time. Certainly no one came up and gave me a pat on the back. It was just another small victory over the South Africans, another one biting the dust.” Staying modest, he has since said: “The biggest factor in that Test series wasn’t my run. It was that somebody called Neil Jenkins kicked South Africa out of the game. “He, more than anybody else, was the totem of that tour and won that Test series. I certainly didn’t with one run and a couple of tackles.”

[@happygilmore7115]

This is proper rugby.

[@ottconsulting7]

Utter legends. What memories

[@smvj2000]

Keith wood... Wat a legend!!!!

[@garykivell]

Totally agree joost was world class 👍

[@LastWhiteRhino]

awsome try from Dawson , fair play

[@Bucketheadhead]

There's been 2 rememberable match winning drop goals from englishmen, this is the only good one.

[@stephenreeds3672]

Won by a set of people who refused to be beaten!!! Of course, Bok complacency helped.

[@jmomish]

“I felt for a dummy and after that never ever again.”

[@ay613]

Unity🇬🇧 May God bless ✝

[@krakatoa1200]

Scott Gibbs?? fantastic.

[@anthonyeagle7155]

What a tough little F%^ker Scott Gibbs was (is!) It must be something in the air in the valleys

[@philipmarsden7104]

Os Du Randt said ''he was a big lad'',but Os was 5 Stone heavier and 6 inches taller! Os should never have had a problem.

[@nono1172002]

No he is well respected player, there Is laughter as he says it. There just must have always been a bit of banter between him and John Bentley!!!

[@pudseypumper]

VdW and DuRandt. Fair play.

[@goonerfromjhb]

Thats RUGBY

[@jcrawley1]

what's that mean?

[@kevinbaxter7390]

When Forwards were naturally hard without 12hrs in the gym...

[@werriboy55]

Hard isn't about muscles, it's a head thing. Get run over by a bigger bloke, get smashed in a tackle, pushed off the ball, doesn't matter. Get up, keep hitting, keep driving, walk off with your head up. That's the lesson I took away from Rugby.

[@Raichu234]

COME ON U LIONS! X

[@goldenlion647]

The Lions were very fortunate to get away with a win in the second test, they certainly didn't deserve it.

[@14dollars]

it was banter.

[@xpat73]

Yes that was Scott Gibbs getting bounced off by Gary Teichman at 1.48 ...you don't see that often!!

[@jonathan7176]

And the Lions need some try scorers. Come on little Shane.

[@jaceks6338]

I think SA tried 3 different kickers in the Durban Test, and couldn't land a single kick

[@ThePostie501]

Jenkins the Boot.

[@benjiwilliams2441]

SCOTTTTTTYYYY GIBBBBBSSS

[@contrarian717]

Goal kicking was the diffs. Unfortunately

[@deano6997]

the true hero was neil jenkins,in every test he kicked them all. well done neil .

[@alanrobinson7891]

Martin Johnson reckoned Paul Wallace was the player of the tour

[@NigelCopy]

Martin Johnson looks about 12

[@ralphraffles1394]

4.48 Rodber fouled.

[@alanthomas6947]

Joost,terry holmes!!..apart from g.o.edwards the best

[@mnnh1]

Thats been self-evident for some time now. Questionable coach, I suppose.

[@michaelfildes3272]

B