Lucky Mdluli
The much-abused term“legend” is bandied about far too easily, but it applies in great measure to Willie John McBride.
Among the achievements of this (possibly) greatest rugby lock ever is his status as the captain and destroyer-in-chief when the then British Lions annihilated the Springboks in 1974.
And his opinion of the B&I Lions tour is harsh, to say the least.
“It’s nonsense, total nonsense,” McBride (an Irishman through and through) told PlanetRugby. “It should have been postponed. The concept of the Lions has been destroyed. It’s now purely about money.”
He adds: “What sort of tour is it when there won’t be any fans? This is a non-tour. If there’s a few bob to be made, they go ahead and arrange a tour.”
He makes many valid points. Is rugby without a crowd still rugby? Good question. Is it about money? Maybe.
Should it, as he suggests, be postponed?
Maybe not. It’s been 12 years since the B&I Lions last played the Springboks. The Olympics come every four years, as does the Rugby World Cup. Four years is an awful long time (unlike the Rugby Championship which seems to come by every weekend). There are players who would have been too young in 2009 and those same players might be too old today.
Maybe at boardroom level it is about money, but for the young men on the field it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Yes, we live in tough times. Yes, we have to watch the match wearing masks or sitting at home alone in front of a TV – but it is still the British and Irish Lions vs The Springboks (who, may I mention, are the Rugby World Cup Champions). It is more historic than ever.
And there will be young men with their faces graunched into the turf of a rugby field, with not a single thought about money, playing with all the passion McBride engendered into his magnificent 1974 pack of forwards.
Captain McBride, I salute you, but I think you’ve missed the bigger picture.
Picture source: @lorraineelizab6
