Rugby: Lions against Crusaders rekindles memories of brutal '71 match

Any time the Lions and Christchurch are mentioned in the same sentence, rugby purists will immediately think of the 1971 match against Canterbury.

Not generally for the rugby, but the biff.

The seeds for that violent encounter had been sown in the two previous Lions tours, when Canterbury upset the tourists 20-14 in 1959, and narrowly lost 8-6 in a bruising match in 1966.

Canterbury's Fergie McCormick, who played in all three matches, said the toughness of those games led to the violent encounter in 1971.

"They were a very strong Lions team in 59, we had a pretty strong Canterbury team though with a lot of All Blacks including Tiny Hill who captained that team. We virtually had an All Black side," said McCormick.

In the United Kingdom the 71 game was seen as a premeditated assault to slow the Lions down ahead of the test series against the All Blacks. In 2007 the game ranked sixth in a 'top 50 imperfect sporting moments' article by The Daily Telegraph, four spots ahead of the Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu's tackle on Brian O'Driscoll in 2005 (also in Christchurch).

Canterbury and All Black legends Tane Norton and McCormick tell a different story from the famous match, refusing to suggest the violence was started by the men in red and black.

"The Lions started it. We were on attack and Jake Burns was coming back into position and one of their locks slogged him one. Our boys retaliated of course," said McCormick.

The game is best remembered for sending the Lions' two front line props home early after receiving broken bones in the bruising and bloody game.

Scottish prop Sandy Carmichael sustained a multiple fracture of his left cheekbone and Irish prop Ray McLoughlin a chipped bone at the base of his left thumb. Both returned to Britain for treatment and recuperation.

Carmichael was allegedly persistently boring in on Norton, blocking his view of the ball entering the tunnel at the scrum. He was warned twice by Canterbury prop Alister Hopkinson but continued to infringe. He was then dealt to.

"All I heard was Alister Hopkinson say, if he (Carmichael) does this again then I'm going to give him one. I thought, I don't really know what he's doing but never mind I'll find out, and at the next scrum he gave him one all right," said Norton.

Carmichael soon became the poster child of the violent encounter. Images of his bruised eyes creating headlines back home.

"He had a black eye and a bent nose. They got the cameras right up to his face to get a good shot and they're still whinging about it, but they started it," said McCormick

The injury that ended McLoughlin's campaign was more his own doing, testing his hand against one of the toughest heads in the game.

"He hit Alex Wyllie and cut his cheek bone open, that's how he broke his thumb," said McCormick.

Although Canterbury had managed to wound the rampant Lions it didn't slow them down and the tourists went onto record their only test series win over the All Blacks.

"They were strong. The players they had went on to become icons of the game," said Norton.

The Canterbury hooker was part of the series defeat but was lucky enough to captain the All Blacks side that defeated the Lions 3-1 in 1977.

As for the rivalry created on that day, he says the opponents on that day have since become lifelong friends.

"All those guys we played we've met since and remained really good friends with. Of course we still have each other on about that game," said Norton.

A lot may have changed in 46 years but rivalries etched in blood are never forgotten. McCormick and Norton both expect to see more of a spectacle when it comes to the rugby being played on Saturday night, and more than anyone they'll be hoping to see the Lions get tipped over by the red and blacks.

-Star.Kiwi