‘Remember how privileged you are, the sacrifices you have made and the pride of your family. You are standing on the shoulders of giants’
Sir Ian Mcgeechan’s message to the Lions as they take on the All Blacks
Dear Lion,
So this is it. The last few hours before the first Test. If you’re anything like me, they are likely to go by in a blur. I don’t remember a thing about my Test debut in Cape Town in 1974 until about 30 minutes into it. But try to cherish this moment.
For the past few days, since the matchday 23 was announced, the tension in the camp will undoubtedly have risen. It all starts to get very real. But know that you are ready. Think about everything you have done to reach this stage; the sacrifices you have made, the sacrifices others have made on your behalf. Your families back home who are willing you on. Think of how proud they are of you.
Look around you at the other faces in the changing room. Each one of you will have had your own journey to reach this point. But what unites us all, what unites everyone who has ever experienced or been touched by the Lions, is the jersey. This famous red jersey which has built up over generations to become symbolic of what I consider to be the greatest rugby team on earth. I remember Warren Gatland in 2009 noting that Lions players now looked at it with the same reverence as the All Blacks looked at their jersey.
Coming from a New Zealander that really resonated.
Wear that shirt with pride. Leave it in a better place than you found it. I always used to say: “It’s not the jersey you put on, it’s the jersey you take off that defines you.” Remember, a winning Test jersey will never leave you.
Think about the players who have gone before you. You are standing on the shoulders of giants. I played with a few of them myself. I remember when I was called up for my first Lions tour, to South Africa in 1974, sitting in a changing room alongside Gareth Edwards and Willie John Mcbride, JPR Williams and Phil Bennett.
I never dreamt that I would play Test rugby, let alone go on a Lions tour with the best players in the world.
That tour changed me as a player. The respect I was given by players of the stature I have just mentioned gave me enormous confidence. But it also, I hope, made me a better man. I understood how much work and sacrifice had gone into making us the best team we could possibly be.
I remember particularly the players who were not selected for the four Tests in 1974. A lot of the travelling party spent three months playing non-test rugby. They never once let standards drop. To see that quality of player not prepared to lower their standards was humbling.
Remember that those players are every bit as important as you are to the success of this tour. They always have been. They are the ultimate Lions. Players like Jason Leonard, who was not a Test starter in 1997 but who spent time with Paul Wallace, putting everything into making him ready.
John Bentley and Doddie Weir were others on that ’97 tour who gave us so much with their positive attitude. Think of them now. Doddie has just announced this week that he is suffering from motor neurone disease. A huge challenge but one I know he will take on with the same dignity and character he displayed 20 years ago when his tour was ended by a reckless boot to the knee. Despite his injury, Doddie’s positivity and irrepressible character were instrumental to the success of that group.
That, to me, sums up the Lions ethos. The way you bond as a group, and support each other, will ultimately determine your success on this tour.
You saw how the ‘midweek team’ played against the Waikato Chiefs earlier this week – players like Rory Best and Greig Laidlaw, captains of their respective countries. Their attitude was exemplary. You saw the standards they set. It is them who you now represent.
And the fans.
Because that is one area that has changed since 1974; the support that comes with you on these tours. Outside your team
hotel this morning, there were probably hundreds – if not thousands– of fans cheering you as you set off for the stadium. Many of them have spent their life savings to be here. That’s how much the badge means to them; how important it is to them to be there watching you. The Lions more than any other team in the world have an incredible bond between players and supporters.
The last few days will have been a whirlwind but I hope you have been able to soak up the experience. I used to try to take the entire squad out to dinner at a restaurant on the day of the team announcement and mix all the players up. Not only did it reinforce the message that there were no barriers between those selected for the Test and the rest of the squad, it allowed the players to feel a special connection with the public; fans sitting at nearby tables who would want photos or autographs. As players you begin to realise how big the picture is; how big the impact of winning might be.
And now you are here, in the dressing room, on the morning of the game.
You will probably have had a lie-in today, a late breakfast, a practice run. You have done everything you can do now. You have done all your analysis and tactical planning. What it comes down to now is you. Pure and simple. What do you personally have to deliver to meet the challenge ahead?
It’s now that the awesome responsibility really hits you.
Everyone copes in different ways. Some players stay in the changing room, shouting and bashing doors and heads. Others – like Dean Richards, with whom I remember going for a quiet pre-game walk in Australia 1989 – prefer a quieter build-up.
Each to their own. The captain will likely say a few words. I have been lucky to have had so many good ones, as both player and coach. I remember Martin Johnson, particularly, on the 1997 tour. Martin was always cool, calm and collected. But when he spoke everyone listened.
I remember Jim Telfer and I had written down notes for the players – key words, that sort of thing. At the end, when it was Martin’s turn to speak, he just turned around, looked the players in the eye and challenged them to change those words into actions.
I was standing in the corner of the dressing room at the time and my heart was fit to burst. I was ready to run out on to the pitch myself.
As I say, each one of you is different. But just remember why you are here; what the Lions are all about. Now it’s about stepping onto the field being ready to deliver. Don’t look to do things you have not done before. Do the things and show the qualities for which you have been selected. It is that which makes you special. Now is the moment to take it to another level.
Remember how lucky you are. Remember how close the Lions came to disappearing as a concept after the game went professional in 1995.
That ’97 tour helped to redefine it. It was like the perfect storm; Sky TV, people watching in bars and pubs because they didn’t yet have satellite dishes at home, the Living With Lions documentary. I’ll admit I was worried about that time because I thought there was too much non-rugby stuff in there: the Kangaroo Court, the swearing, the drinking games and so on. It was actually my wife, Judy, who said ‘No, no, 95 per cent of rugby is not on the field!’ She was right. We had no idea back then how big it would become. Jim Telfer’s “This is your Everest” speech. The raw, intimate nature of the footage. None of it was for the cameras. In that film you saw the personal responsibility of being a Lion.
But what it did, more than anything, was it drew people into the Lions environment. And that connection, that bond with the fans is so vital. Without that, all the money in the world would mean nothing. Because ultimately this is what makes the Lions: a group of players and fans from four different nations coming together as one, supporting each other, playing for what the Lions badge really means.
A sharing of talent, a sharing of attitude, a sharing of experiences.
As the Test group, you are the privileged few. You will go on to that field today with the best wishes and support of everybody back home.
Good luck. Ian