Scottish rugby international and Lions
manager. Died aged 80.
Scottish rugby stalwart George Burrell, who managed the British Lions on their 1977 New Zealand tour, was an international player, then a respected referee and administrator.
A former Scotland manager and selection committee chairman, the highlight of his career as an official was
managing the Lions for the New Zealand tour.
The team, coached by John Dawes and captained by Phil Bennett, won 21 of its 25 games but lost the test series 1-3 and were also beaten by New Zealand Universities.
In The Visitors, the history of international rugby teams in New Zealand, the authors R.H. Chester and N.A.C McMillan suggest, however, that the Lions management contributed little to the success of the tour.
"George Burrell, who had been a popular manager for the 1975 Scottish team, adopted an over-protective role, often causing resentment by not allowing players to accept the hospitality of their hosts and cancelling attendance at functions." they said.
Burrell played for Gala, the British Army, the South of Scotland and Scotland.
He was wounded in the Second World War invasion of Normandy, France, in June 1944.
Originally a first five-eighths for Gala, he won all his four caps for Scotland as a fullback.
He played against France, Wales and Ireland in 1950 and South Africa in 1951.
He was a member of Scotland's international refereeing panel, and served on the Scotland Rugby Union general committee from 1968 to 1986, as president in the 1985-86 season.
Burrell died after a long illness.
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