Barbarian tour another nightmare?

Press, 1 October 1979, Page 38

Barbarian tour another nightmare?

NZPA London The 1969 Springboks tour of Britain was a nightmare for players, administrators, police and press, and the South African Barbarians trip, which begins today, looks likely to provide the same experience. The demonstrators did not stop the 1969 tour, but they succeeded in showing their muscle so effectively that the 1970 cricket tour by South Africa was cancelled — and that was the real aim. The winter protests were intended as a warm-up for the summer, but the dress rehearsal turned into the maior performance. It was ominous that the first rugby match was

scheduled for Guy Fawkes Day, and bad planning that Oxford University was the first opponent — no chance of playing it at Oxford in those protestconscious days of the late sixties. At the last minute, the Rugby Union staged the match at Twickenham. Only one stand was used and the press were isolated self-consciously in their box in the otherwise unused stand. Most of the crowd mercilessly barracked Dawie de Villiers and his men, masses of them came on to the pitch and the South Africans lost. So the pattern of the tour was set. The invaders usually came in groups. But at that opening match, at

half-time a lone man strolled into the dressing rooms wearing a tracksuit top, and kicked the referee, Mr Mike Titcomb. At Bristol, another lone spectator scattered tin tacks. The violence inside the grounds was largely contained and matches were only occasionally interrupted. However, outside, some of the worst scenes of civil disorder seen in the United Kingdom since the war, occurred. Swansea, the fourth match, was generally agreed to be the worst, with police and demonstrators fighting for three hours. Amid more serious injuries, the chief constable of South Wales had

the misfortune to be bitten on the arm by a girl. Christmas and the end of the university term introduced a quieter end, but it was too late to save the Springboks’ record. They failed to win a test. Scotland and England beat them by a margin of One try, and Ireland and Wales snatched late draws. South Africa was unlucky with injuries and few of the players had a consistent chance to air their skill until de Villiers —now the republic’s ambassador to Britain — masterminded a sweeping 21-12 victory over the Barbarians in the twentyfifth and final match. It would not have been Britain if, amid the hate

and aggro, there had not been a humorous moment: A man took his two sons to Twickenham for the England international, carrying a metal wastepaper basket for the younger boy to stand on. The police tried to take it away, saying it was a potentially offensive weapon. “But,” replied the man, “I’m an M.C.C. member — look, here's my ‘blood and guts’ tie. Surely you can’t imagine an M.C.C. member joining in a brawl?” “That may be, sir,” replied the policeman, “but your elder son is wearing a London School of Economics scarf, and today that cancels out the M.C.C. tie. Collect your property after the match.”