Lions get noisy reception

Press, 6 May 1980, Page 46

Lions get noisy reception

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg

The British Lions rugby team returned to South Africa yesterday after a sixyear absence to a noisy welcome from a virtually allwhite crowd of about 1000.

The 30-man squad, led by England’s captain, Billy Beaumont, touched down at Jan Smuts Airport where they pushed through a throng of well-wishers and autograph hunters before departing by bus for their training headquarters south of Johannesburg.

Beaumont was handed a snarling lion cub and asked to pose for dozens of photographers. He spoke only briefly to reporters, saying: “We are looking forward to the tour, but we are not under-estimating our task by any means.”

The Lions were last in South Africa in 1974 when

they were unbeaten and won a test series against the Springboks for the first time. They will play 18 matches including four internationals.

The Springboks, once one of the greatest powers in world rugby, have been out of international competition since 1976 because of a sports boycott imposed on South Africa in protest against apartheid. They have just played their first test matches in four years, beating a South American side, the Jaguars, comprised largely of the talented Argentine team, by two games to nil. But the arrival of the Lions is a crucial breakthrough in the Springboks’ bid to return to international competition.

The Lions, who play their first game against Eastern Province in Port Elizabeth

on Saturday, will have an invaluable advantage over the Springboks of fielding players with a wealth of international experience. But they will face a Springbok side fiercely determined to restore ‘ the country’s rugby pride after the humiliation of six years ago. In Durban meanwhile South African rugby officials are confident that the Springboks will soon be going on overseas tours. Dr Danie Craven, head of the South African Rugby Union Board, said yesterday: “I’ll let you. into a secret. We will be touring South America at the end of this year.” Dr Craven, the doyen of South African rugby, wj.s speaking at a cocktail party marking the end of the Jaguars’ short tour.

Other South African offi-

cials mirrored Dr Craven’s optimism and said they hoped the Springboks would also be invited to tour France and New Zealand.

The South American captain, Hugo Porta, said he looked forward to meeting the Springboks again, and hoped that political obstacles would not get in the way. . .

Although the visitors were said to represent South America, the team was basically the Argentine Pumas, with only the token presence of one player each from Chile, Brazil and Paraguay.

South American team sburces said however that the Argentine Government had only reluctantly given the go-ahead for a “low key” tour to South Africa. “I • can’t see them agreeing to a Springbok visit this year,” said one source.