Lions Tour: Percy Erceg recalls 1950's Lion-hearted battle

Percy Erceg fondly remembers his battle with the British and Irish Lions in 1950. Photo/Frank Malley

With the British and Irish Lions set to begin their 2017 tour of New Zealand by taking on the Barbarians in Whangarei tomorrow night, memories have been reignited for a former All Black from the Far North.

Percy Erceg remembers being called up by the New Zealand Maori selectors to play the touring British Lions team in Wellington in 1950.

Having being picked to play for Auckland's national provincial team earlier that year, the 21-year-old Erceg had just returned to his quarters at the Public Services Hostel after visiting the Auckland Zoo with teammates, when he was given a message to ring the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Erceg said he knew it was a call-up for the New Zealand Maori in the final game of the Lions' tour.

"They wanted me to fly down to Wellington," he said, adding he hadn't played for Auckland that weekend because of a minor injury.

"I thought, 'blow it!'" he said, and headed to Carlaw Park - which was "just around the corner" - to do a few sprints and test his recovery, only to be caught in the act by some league players who suddenly showed up.

"They asked, 'What the hell are you doing here, you are not a league player,'" he smiled, adding "They let me off."

Confident he was up to the task, Erceg put his hand up and was put on a plane flight south on the Monday for the game at Athletic Park.

The New Zealand Maori side featured a couple of highly respected Far North players; Peter Smith from Kaikohe (the brother of Johnny Smith, who Erceg described as "one of the greatest centres New Zealand had ever produced" but ruled out through injury) and Brownie "Nau" Cherrington from the Bay of Islands.

Cherrington asked Erceg to play on the left wing while he'd play on the right. Shortly after kickoff the New Zealand Maori side lost Smith with a fractured collarbone and had to complete the match with 14 men on the pitch.

"Our flanker had to play on the wing. Those days you didn't have any replacements," said Erceg, recalling being given the unenviable job of marking Ken Jones, who had also represented Britain in sprinting at the Olympics.

"He was fast," Erceg said. "I shadowed him all day. He scored one try, I was able to score one try."

The New Zealand Maori eventually lost the match 14-9.

The British Isles under Dr Karl Mullen won 17 of their 23 matches on the 1950 tour, drawing the first test 9-9 with the other three won by New Zealand.

The following year Erceg was selected to go on the All Blacks' tour to Australia. He ended up playing three tests that year and one more with the national side in 1952.

Erceg said he would probably not attend the Barbarians game in Whangarei tomorrow, the Lions vs New Zealand Maori clash in Rotorua on June 17 and the Lions vs All Blacks' test at Eden Park on June 24 (with all former All Blacks having been invited by the NZRU to attend a special dinner beforehand).

Instead, he'd likely end up - quite happily - watching all the games from the comfort of his living room.