Blood, sweat and tears of victory over the Boks

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

What’s happening here?

It’s June 4, 1994 down in the bowels of the visitors’ changing room at Loftus Versveld in Pretoria where England have been playing South Africa in the First Test. From left to right are skipper Will Carling, prop Jason Leonard, scrum-half Dewi Morris and wing Rory Underwood. It might not look like it but England have just claimed a famous 32-15 victory over the Springboks.

What is the story behind the picture?

England were looking for a reset. Under Geoff Cooke they had increasingly set the world alight between 1988 and 1992 but an ageing team was starting to creak. They flopped in the 1993 Five Nations and then failed to inspire in the 1994 Championship – won by Wales – although in truth they could still have challenged for the Grand Slam had they not slipped to a 13-12 home defeat against Ireland. Small margins and all that.

England were in a difficult interim period. Many of the older guard – Carling, Rob Andrew, Brian Moore, Dean Richards, Jerry Guscott and Rory Underwood – were still going strong but younger players were also taking centre stage such as Tim Rodber and Ben Clarke while Mike Catt and Tony Underwood were coming through. It was also time for new management leading into RWC1995. Jack Rowell, so successful at Bath, was named manager although he was in effect the head coach while Dick Best and Les Cusworth were to assist him on a demanding eight game tour of South Africa. Such trips still existed.

What happened next?

Mixed fortunes. England went fully booted and suited minus the injured Guscott and ran into fierce provincial opposition. There were defeats at altitude to Orange Free State, Transvaal and South Africa A, a loss to Natal at sea level in Durban and one modest 26-24 win over Western Transvaal in Potchefstroom in the build up to the First Test in Pretoria.

But England were, if nothing else, battle hardened and, to the shock of South African fans and the world’s rugby media, England powered their way to a 32-15 win at Loftus. Andrew enjoyed his finest day in England colours as he posted a full house – a try, two conversions, a dropped goal and five penalties, while Clarke scored England’s other try. The scoreline might have flattered England a little but nobody beats South Africa by 17 points in Pretoria by accident. It was a mighty effort.

Why is the picture iconic?

The pain of victory. The sheer bloody effort. This is what beating the Springboks at altitude looks like afterwards, when the team troop back into their lair having expended their final burst of adrenaline celebrating on the pitch.

The players are utterly exhausted, they have gone right to the edge and beyond physically, they have that slightly dazed look of those who have survived a military incident, a shelling or bombing. You might occasionally beat the Boks but there is always a heavy physical price to pay and eventually comes that moment when it hits the victors like a ton of bricks. No high fives, fist pumps or cheesy thumbs up.

The sparse changing room has a bunker-like feel with its bare bricked walls and hard wooden benches. It’s an industrial scene littered with debris, empty drink bottles, discarded tape, Carling is icing a wrist injury while Leonard and Morris look gone at all levels. Only Underwood, the always poised RAF pilot, looks ready to go again if needed.

Bear in mind also that, at the end of a long domestic season, these still amateur sportsmen have been on the road almost continuously for two years. All four had also spent the previous summer in New Zealand representing the 1993 Lions.

And it had been an intense day. It was England’s first visit to South Africa in ten years as the nation came back into the fold after the apartheid boycott. Before the game, Carling and the team had been presented to President

Nelson Mandela. This image also tells you why it’s so difficult to win a series in South Africa, why it’s so rare to double up and beat them again the next week.

If you had viewed this rather downbeat picture in the Monday papers after such a famous Test win – of course none of the papers used it because an England victory was the story – you would have wagered a large sum on South Africa winning the second Test seven days later down in Cape Town.

And you would have been right. England had emptied the tanks and South Africa romped home 27-9.

Footnote: Life on tour is remorseless. Three days later the England squad, resting as many players as possible, were playing Eastern Province in Port Elizabeth where the locals went head hunting with a vengeance. Ridiculously, the only player who got sent off, for retaliation, was Rodber who had been outstanding three days earlier. Rodber rather enjoyed playing against South Africans with four wins in six Test appearances against them for England and the Lions.