McBride back's Barbarian rugby tour

Press, 2 October 1979, Page 34

McBride back's Barbarian rugby tour

By

JOHN BROOKS

The controversial South African Barbarians’ rugby tour of Britain has the full support of the celebrated Irish international and former Lions captain, Willie John Mcßride. And he feels that the Irish Government acted hastily in banning the tourists from playing two of their scheduled eight matches in the republic. The big lock from Ballymena arrived in Christchurch yesterday after a 30-hour flight from his home country, and expressed the hope that the tour went well for the South Africans.

“It is something we must encourage; it is a further progressive step for South African rugby,” he said.

“They have tried hard to develop rugby among the blacks and the Coloureds. I have been there and seen the efforts being made in this direction, and 1 feel they are really worth-while." But he felt that the Irish Government had listened to pressure groups before arriving at its decision to give a thumbs down sign to the Barbarians’ brief visit to its country’. “I think the government mace a rash decision — it didn’t do its research properly into what it was banning,” he said. “We have enough problems politically back home: thank goodness rugby football has carried on without interference,”

Mcßride said. “I feel that has done more for Ireland than politics have in the last 50 years.” The famous Irish forward is in New Zealand

this week for two speaking engagements — at the Canterbury rugby player of the year dinner in Christchurch tomorrow, and the West Coast sportsman of the year function in Greymouth on Fri ay.

His two previous visits to tltis country were with the 1971 and 1966 Lions

— two sides which were involved in tempestuous matches against Canterbun' at Lancaster Park. But Mcßride harbours no

bitterness over those encounters.

“I think that was som thing blown up a lot b\ the press and by various statements,” he said, “We had hard, tough games here, the sort of games which have made Canterbury respected among teams in the rugby world. “I look on Tane Norton

and Alex Wyllie as friends, and I regard them as two of the best internationals from New Zealand 1 have played against.” Mcßride said he had great respect for New Zealand rugby, and it was an extension of th::’ feeling among other British r'tgby tourists which had nibbed off on the four Home countries and ultimately spawned the highly successful 1971 Lions team.

“That was a much better organised team than die one of 1966, an.l there was a big difference in attitude — we believed in ourselves,” he said. The Five Nations’ championship eluded Mcßride in his long and dis-

tinguished career, although he feels sure that the season in which Wales refused to travel to Dublin because of the troubles would have been “Ireland's year.”

However, after the Irish success in Australia earlier this year, he has hopes that the wearers of the green will have a really good siie in two or three years — perhaps good enough to win the title.

In the meantime this genial giant continues to play for his club, Ballymena. as well as coach the side. “I have always enjoyed my club rugby, and the side is going well. Rut this is my twenty-first year — mayire I will draw a line at the end of it.”