British Lions prepared for arduous tour

Press, 9 May 1983, Page 36

British Lions prepared for arduous tour

From JOHN BROOKS, in Wanganui

There was a regal changing of the guard in Wanganui at the week-end with the departure of Prince Edward and the arrival of the aspiring kings of rugby — the Lions; but the manager of the British Isles tourists, Mr Willie John Mcßride, said he was well aware that the path to the footballing crown in New Zealand would not be strewn with roses.

"This is probably the most difficult Lions tour undertaken, for the simple reason that it has been condensed,” he said yesterday. “Certainly, there will not be an easy game — we face 10 weeks of concentrated rugby.” But with a shrug of his broad Irish shoulders, the former international lock forward indicated that the die was cast, and there would be no whinging. “I believe that if you take on a job you don’t complain but you see it through,” he said. “We are prepared to take each game as it comes along.”

There is no doubt that this affable giant, a Lions stalwart himself in former years, has already formed an attachment to his players and begun to give them some sort of identity.

“i think we have men who will show loyalty to each other and display pride in performance. They want to win, but not at all costs. We want to enjoy ourselves, and that starts with playing good rugby.”

There are no Mike Gibsons, Tony O’Reillys or even Willie John Mcßrides in the playing ranks of the Lions, but the team’s manager indicated that he was not perturbed by this. “I have always said I

don’t want stars in any team,” he said. “Pre-tour comments abouts the 1974 Lions in South Africa were probably worse than what has been written about this team. Yet in that year we broke every possible record with no star. “I think we have a lot of good footballers at the moment, by the end of the tour I would be surprised if there were not a lot of great players.”

Mr Mcßride said he was saddened by the fact that so many international games now were decided by mistakes or penalty goals. It would be the Lions’ aim to play attractive rugby and score tries, although he realised the difficulties of achieving this at test level. “There is no such thing as a perfect team — you can try to make one but you won’t succeed,” he said. “Points on the board and having the ball — that is what matters.” The Lions will not be on a cake-walk through New Zealand, and both Mr McBride and the coach, Mr Jim Telfer, promised hard work as top on their list of priorities for the players. And Mr Mcßride, who claimed that Lions sides were more adaptable than South African and New Zealand teams, acknowledged

that some changes would need to be made in the Lions’ approach, without affecting their own special qualities.

The fusion of talents from players of four countries will be a challenging task for Mr Telfer, but Mr McBride said team spirit was already forming, and an air of co-operation was evident. “The game today has become more sophisticated, and there are also a lot more pressures on the players — pressures of home, of preparation, and from the media. But the basic things are unchanged. Reading the game, reacting and adapting — that’s what still counts in rugby.”

Mr Mcßride watched a video playing of the All Black trial, but confessed that he had not extracted much from it. “It was a bit one-sided, wasn’t it? You can never make comparisons, each game has different elements to it.” The Lions team for the tour opener, against Wanganui on Saturday, will be announced on Thursday morning. Mr Mcßride said he could not guarantee that every player would appear in one of the first two games, but he hoped all would be displayed by the time of the third.