Lions' Tests at Eden Park

Thursday 07th July 2005

From 1930 on

Starting in 1930 the Lions have played eight Tests at Eden Park in Auckland, seven of them the last Test of the series, as is the case again in 2005.

Of the eight Tests the All Blacks have won six, the Lions one, and one was drawn.

Only the 1930 Test was not the last in the series. It was the third of four in a series which the All Blacks won 3-1.

The Lions had won the first, the All Blacks the second. Victory in the third would make the series safe for the victors. The interest was enormous as 40 000 made their way into Eden Park, a record for a New Zealand sporting event at the time. Outside the ground, wherever there was a vantage point "Scotsman's stands" were erected.

The ground was soft but the rain fell near the end.

The heavier Lions pack gained the ascendancy and Harry Bowcott broke and scored under the posts early on. Ivor Jones converted. The All Blacks replied when Mark Nicholls chipped and Fred Lucas scored under the posts. Bill Strang's conversion made it 5-all at half-time.

There was an oldfashioned difference of opinion in the second half. South African Lion Brian Black, a prop, kicked at goal.  Doug Prentice, the Lions' captain who had stood down for the match and was a touch judge, signalled the kick over. George Nicholson, New Zealand's touch judge, signalled that it was not over. The referee, Sam Hollander of Canterbury, agreed with Nicholson. Things were less "neutral" in those days!

When Jack Bassett failed to find touch, The All Blacks rushed on the attack and High McLean scored. Nicholls scored next. He made the running with three successful dummies and then dropped a goal. 12-5. Still the All Blacks attacked and in a forward rush McLean scored his second try. 15-5. Finally Ivor Jones started a run on the half-way line that ended when Carl Aarvold scored a fine try, converted by Black.

The All Blacks won 15-10.

The All Blacks had won the series by the time of the fourth Test in 1950, but, like the other Tests in the series, this one was close. The scores for the four Tests were 9-9, 8-0, 6-3 and then 11-8.

The All Blacks made changes for this last Test, including the selection of a young No.8, Graham Mexted, whose son Murray became a great All Black No.8  and a rugby personality. The Lions made eight changes from the third Test.

There were 58 000 spectators in the Eden Park sunshine and they were treated to a great match.

Prop Hec Wilson scored the first points when the All Black forwards rushed a Lions' knock-on into their in-goal areas. Bob Scott converted and then Lewis Jones kicked a penalty for the Lions. 5-3. Just before half-time Bob Scott gathered a kick some 45 yards out and landed a dropped goal. The All Blacks led 8-3 at half-time.

Twice Lewis Jones hauled down Bill Meates when the All Black wing looked certain to score till Peter Henderson, the sprinter on the other wing, dived a long way to score in the corner. 11-3.  With five minutes left the Lions scored the try of the match from their own goal-line where Lewis Jones started running. Eventually Ken Jones sprinted half the length of the field to score at the posts. Lewis Jones converted. Ken Jones nearly scored again but the ball bounced away from him and on time the Lions attacked and  Bleddyn Williams, great centre, dived for the line. Sammy Henderson dived as well. Williams hit the cornerpost and the All Blacks won a thriller.

In 1959 the Lions had their only Test victory at Eden Park. By then the All Blacks had won the series but iffishly. They won the first Test 18-17, six penalties to four tries. They won the second 11-8 and the third 22-8. The Lions won the fourth 9-6 before 60 000 people when the sun shone after morning rain.

It was 3-all at half-time. Don Clarke, the man who broke Lions' hearts in the first Test, kicked a penalty goal but then the great Peter Jackson scored a try.

The Lions took the lead in the second half when Tony O'Reilly beat his man on the blindside to score in the corner.  That man Clarke made it 6-all. Then O'Reilly went on the open side but the Lions played to Bev Risman on the blindside and the flyhalf scored a brilliant try. 9-6, but three tries to nil. Clarke, who scored 39 points in the series, missed a relatively easy kick which would have levelled the score for the undeserving All Blacks.

In 1966 the All Blacks whitewashed the Lions. On a perfect day  the All Blacks won the fourth Test 24-11. The All Blacks led 10-8 at the break. Waka Nathan and Malcolm Dick had scored tries for the All Blacks, both converted by Mick Williment. Then Sandy Hinshelwood and Colin McFadyean scored for the Lions, one converted by Stewart Wilson. The second half belonged to New Zealand.

From New Zealand the Lions went to Canada and lost to British Colombia 8-3.

Where the earlier tours had been happy affairs, this one had not been with the New Zealanders accused of all manner of foul doings to the extent that Des O'Brien, the Lions' manager, claimed that not one of his team wanted to return to play rugby in New Zealand.

The draw, 14-14, in 1971 gave the Lions the series. They had won in Dunedin, lost in Christchurch and won again in Wellington. New Zealand hopes of a shared series depended on the Eden Park result.

Fists flew at the start as rain came sweeping across on a southwester. It was not the last of the fighting.

The All Blacks scored first when Mick Duncan went on the loop and scored, Laurie Mains converting. Mains and Barry John then exchanged penalties and New Zealand led 8-3 with half-time looming. From a line-out on the All Blacks' line Gareth Edwards was tackled just short but Peter Dixon was on hand to pick up and score. John converted and it was 8-all at the break.

John kicked a penalty goal and then Tom Lister dived over after a long New Zealand visit to the Lions' line. 11-11. Fullback JPR Williams kicked a long dropped goal from near the half-way line and the Lions were ahead.  Only a Mains penalty for off-side at a scrum salvaged a draw for New Zealand, not enough to deny the great Lions a series victory.

In 1977 the Lions had the chance to level the series in the fourth Tests. New Zealand won the first 16-12, the Lions the second 13-9 and the All Blacks the third 19-7. The Lions failed, going down 10-9, a try apiece. They probably deserved better.

It was sunny, Eden Park was packed and the match was a thriller.

When it was 10-9 to New Zealand the Lions went for a push-over try but were stopped on the line. Then from another scrum they spun the ball along the backs but a knock-on ended their hopes as the final whistle sounded.

The Lions had led 9-3 at half time. Scrumhalf Doug Morgan had scored all the Lions' points with a try, a conversion and a penalty goal. Bevan Wilson kicked two penalty goals and then Laurie Knight ran some ten metres to score the try which won the match.

At one stage in the match, to counter the Lions' scrumming power, the All Blacks used a mini scrum of just three players!

The Lions went on to Fiji from New Zealand and lost 25-21 to Fiji in Suva.

In 1983 the Lions lost by the biggest margin yet against the All Blacks - 38-6. New Zealand scored six tries with a hat-trick for wing Stu Wilson. Fullback Alan Hewson, flank Jock Hobbs and lock Andy Haden got the other tries. The Lions did not score a try.

For the first time in a series between the All Blacks and the Lions unattached referees were used. In this Test it was Dick Byres, now an IRB referees' selector.

Because of the Lions' experiences o

n this tour and fearing to be left behind through the greater competitiveness in the Southern Hemisphere, John Burgess produced a report that would change the structures of English rugby to a more competitive one with things like leagues and trophies.

It was all to play for in the third match of the tense three-Test series in 1993. New Zealand won the first 20-18, the Lions the second 20-7.

The All Blacks came out blazing, determined to eliminate the opportunities of the Lions' pack. It worked. New Zealand won 30-13.

The Lions actually led 10-0 after Gavin Hastings had kicked a penalty goal and then converted the try by Scott Gibbs. But that was it. The rest belonged to New Zealand who led 14-10 at the break  after tries by Frank Bunce and Sean Fitzpatrick, both converted by Grant Fox. In the second half Jon Preston scored a try while Grant Fox added a conversion and three penalty goals.

It used to be the custom at the end of the tour for speeches to be made to the crowd at Eden Park. They would be made in front of one of those old standing circular mikes. Then the crowd would sing the Maori farewell - Now is the Hour.

For a history of Eden Park, click here for what was said before the Auckland match.