David Duckham passed today and his England team at the time were also rans and he got very little quality ball.But, with the Welsh wizardry of Edwards, Bennett,JPR and the genius of Mike Gibson alongside him,he could showcase his sidestepping, dashing brilliance. That guy was some player. An absolute gent am on that January day 50 years ago an honorary Welshman. Dai Duckham RIP
If one closes one's eyes and recalls JPR in action, in the mind's eye, through the mists of time, it all comes vividly back. The leap, the catch, the sideboards, the seemingly obligatory opposition stiff arm to the head and yet, undaunted and apparently invulnerable, JPR just ploughed on. The side step, the socks rolled down, the inimitable gait, part athlete, part warrior, wholly immortal. RIP and thanks for the memories JPR.
Nah - rugby today can not hold a candle to the days when The Barbarians played the field. Team play, quick thinking, situational awareness, humility and guts are just not anywhere near as good as they were in those days.
I don't care that people say this game, or that game was the best ever, because anyone that's ever played rugby, watched rugby or just heard of rugby hasn't a clue if they don't regard this as the best game in history.. Many of the 74 lions that are quite possibly the best team in history were gracing the arms park in the famed Baa Baa's shirts, and an amazing all blacks line up, contributed to a game that produced an electric atmosphere from start to finish, and two of the best tries ever scored. Not to mention Cliff Morgan's amazing commentary that many can still recite for Gareth Edwards try..
I was there that day, in the east terrace, behind the posts when Phil Bennett started it all and far away from the Gareth Edwards try. The whole ground shook. I remember looking at the scoreboard to my right at half time. 17-0. Magic day.... Duckham was fantastic that day. He was good enough to be Welsh.. Five of us lads set off from Pembrokeshire in West wales with six tickets. We walked against the crowd offering the spare ticket at face value but there were no takers. That ticket would be worth thousands today.. The five were me. David Edwards, Terry Davies, John James, Chris Brown, and "Sharkey" Phillips. The chosen ones that day....And fresh in the minds 40 odd years later.
Sure, Phil Bennett had an amazing side-step but Duckham seems to glide past people, a bit before my time unfortunately but I'm trying to find all of his videos.
David Edwards my father had 2 tickets but had to work that day so gave them to my Grandfather. When my dad got home he asked his father if it was a good game and my grandad said 'oh aye wasn't bad' and laughed. My Dad hates his old boss to this day
Greatest game ever played on both sides of ball. Legends all over field in both teams. So sad they all get old and are greatly missed. Their humility in scoring and their deeds on field is extraordinary.
This was played to us at Longlevens Rugby Club in Gloucester on projector during a mini rugby training session in the mid 70's, i had never seen it before then, i remember the hair standing up on the back of my neck, lump in my throat and tingling all over, walked out back onto the training pitch feeling invincible and 10 foot tall, absolutely blew me away... still makes me feel that way when i watch it today... phenomenal game...
I still remember it. 13 years old, on a grey Saturday afternoon watching this in black and white. I had never paid much attention to Rugby Union. We did not play it at school, and although some of my family were fans of the game, I was not. Yet that Saturday afternoon, I sat, entranced, spellbound, not believing what I was watching. And I have been a devotee from that day to this, and time does not diminish its magnificence in the slightest.
Legends were created that day. Edwards, Duckham, Gibson, Williams, the Bevan power try etc etc etc.... Duckham even had his name changed from David to Dai. You can watch 'the try' 10,000 times and not get bored of it. I find this game very moving. So many great players at the top of their game, show boating their skills. The poor All Blacks...there seems a sense of desperation amongst them at times....and they were the greatest team of the age. This game moved rugby forward and created generations of fans. Well done boys!
Legends - Yes. But you left out the man who really created "that try" by sidestepping 4 All Blacks in front of his own posts - Phil Bennett - the best #10 Wales has ever produced
Sir phil bennett the greatest rugby player we were ever blessed to see his skills were extraordiary the side steps and body swerves were in perfect rythem with his amazing acceleration god bless you sir phil bennett
@John O'Neill Do you not think that his greater notoriety is in part due to the fact that he played in the modern era which meant that more of his games were televised and recorded? Did he not also play for better sides as well as playing more internationals per season?
Duckham could sidestep the entire planet. As English mini rugby-playing kids in the 70s, Edwards and Bennett were pure heroes to me and my older brother; we wanted to be like them!
I'm a lad from Liverpool (well a 61 year old lad). Running was my sport, but when I started secondary school in.1972 we had to play rugby in PE. Liverpool comprehensive schools had rugby teams, unbelievable now but true. I fell in love with both codes of rugby. .In the running club I was a member of we used to have club runs on Saturday when there wasn't a fixture. That day of the Ba-bas match was one of the days. I was sat in my kit and watched the opening 10 minutes before summoned by my dad to leave. What a match ! One of the most exciting, memorable sporting experiences EVER! I still get goosebumps watching it and would show this to anyone who doesn"t get rugby. PS God praise David Duckham- twinkletoes ! I wanted to be like him at the time.
Sometimes there's just magic in the air. Will we ever see the likes of this again? There's a spontaneity, a feeling that anything could happen that just doesn't seem to exist in any modern sport. Incredible noise from the crowd, the 1970's was a much maligned decade yet, in hindsight, was an unbelievably creative era for many things. Pity, the world seems to have become homogeneous and revolves around tedious technology and celebrity rather than the sheer talent on display here. Did JPR's head have a target on it by the way?
Electricity crackled from the tv screen for games like this in that era. From the highlights it seems every time JPR touched the ball, he was given a head shot by NZ, but never once did he lose the ball, he shovelled it on to a team mates, and issued the coupe de grace himself at the end
As long as my eyesight is able to watch this game, I will never tire of it. So sad though to see some of these mesmeric players leaving us though, wonderful memories of a wonderful era!
I was only 19 when I watched this match. Unforgettable, brilliant. Some of the dummies sold in the match wouldn't have looked out of place on Oxford Street in London. I loved the one when David Duckham actually dummied the cameraman, sending him the wrong way, along with millions of viewers as well.
I'd love to see the stats of his game that day. The brief highlights show him making 3 clean breaks, at least 13 defenders beaten and he must have run well over 100 metres. He would really have been a stand out winger for England if they'd had a better side in the late 60's - mid 70's when he played.
Very seldom do you hear a Welshman praise an English player. BUT for that 80 minutes Dai Duckham was taken to Welsh hearts. Yes, the maestro of the sidestep Gerald Davies was missing,but for sheer style Duckham had few equals. All 15 played their part in this magical game.And it was seen as the 5th Test match,following the Lions win in New Zealand the previous year. I watched it live on that never to be forgotten January afternoon. What i find most intriguing is why Tom David got so few caps for Wales though.He was mammoth throughout.I've watched the highlights of this game what must be hundreds of times now and i always come back to it. Cliff Morgans commentary,with those brilliant lines of his,even rivalling Ken Wolstenholmes THEY THINK ITS ALL OVER,IT IS NOW for their memorable quality.Bill Mcclaren,God bless him,couldn't have done a better job. That three quarter back line was so much superior to the All Blacks on that day,they made them look pedestrian and toyed with them at times.
19 years old on that January day in 1973,I watched live on BBC ,entranced and transfixed by the majesty of the Ba Bas backline. The late, lamented David Dai Duckham was making the All Black's look like novices,chasing shadows with his dashing,side stepping brilliance. No finer sight than him ball in hand,he had the Cardiff card in raptures. The crescendo of deafening noise, getting ever louder with each pass, culminating in the Gareth Edwards try is for me the UKs finest sporting passage of play ever. I've watched it what must be hundreds of times now.
@@stewartellinson8846 People that know about rugby have always known how good he was. Yes it's a shame that he was in such a poor England era, but that happens.. Look at Mike Gibson, without doubt one of the best 3 all round players in history, capped 69 times right across the back line. That would have been doubled in today's game. Fergus Slattery a flanker who paved the way for the great modern 7's. Both played for a poor Irish side, but recognised as Duckham is to be true greats.. Its happened in many eras. In the modern game we know how good Sergio Parisse has been in a poor Italian side because of the Internet and saturation coverage. And Dani Gerber, only bettered by BOD as the best centre in history, but hardly mentioned because SA were isolated due to apartheid..
I remember watching this game at the age of 9 years old with my Dad, an avid rugby player for Newport. If you are looking down Dad, hope you remember it!
RIP Phil Bennett. What a sidestep. Stardust in your boots, as you were described today. I watched this game on the telly as a small lad. What a try and indeed what a score!
Today the Dawes "try" would probably have been allowed and not denied for a forward pass.RIP DD.One of the all time greats and man of the match for me.
I was 10 at the time of this game. It's a great treat to see our Welsh legends playing at their very best and most entertaining. And this Dai Duckham lad was damned good, too. Never heard of him. I thought I'd learned about all our legends.
The game has changed so much since this match was played. The idea was to run around the opposition with skilful footwork. Now you have players built like michelin men battering through the other team. I much preferred it back in the 70's.
I must have watched THAT try, without a word of a lie hundreds of times.The absolutely wizardry of the Welsh boys, with Gibson's genius and David Duckham s dashing sidestepping brilliance on the day, along with the ecstatic Cardiff crowd made this, for me at least the greatest backs performance by any international team. And to think ace try scorer Gerald Davies was injured. John Bevan presented a totally different challenge to Brian Williams and Bevan stepped up big time. Fantastic. Duckham passed today, he was some player. The Cardiff crowd adopted him that day as Dai Duckham..
What strikes me most about David Duckham is how such a tall chap could be so graceful at the same time and as for his acceleration! He really was born to be rugby great.
Duckham didn't actually have great acceleration. His best times for england were when he played wing outside Peter Preese who did have rocket like acceleration. Preece went through the gap, Duckham caught up, Preece passed, try time. Don't get me wrong. DD is my all time rugby hero. He got 36 caps. If he was playing today it would surely be 80 or 90.
When I played. on the morning before the first match of the season I would watch this game. So that I knew what the goal was. This is all that rugby can be. Thanks to those legends, you made me love the game that made me a man.
Everyone talks about "The Try" and rightly so. It's the greatest moment of rugby and in the top 5 best ever moments in sport. But...this game. I mean all the other tries were so well put together and scored. I still watch the whole game from time to time. It's untouchable rugby. Special mention for David Duckham and J.P.R. Williams. Both immortal.
Agreed the quality of both sides was incredible and they both chose to play exhibition rugby. Used to see JPR W walking to work at St. Thomas’ Hospital.
A sobering thought that these days 'that try' would never have been scored- high tackle on JPR for a start. A great game, always brings me fond memories of my grandfather- a passionate Welshman & rugby fan, who died the day after this day. But what a great last match he was able to watch.
+nakedmolerat43 I totally agree, whenever he got the ball it was electrifying. I would say the only Englishman to come close in the modern era was Jason Robinson.
Robbie Johnston This was when natural flair and commitment to club and country took presidence. Unlike today where foreign journeymen just chase the bucks and desert their country of origin! Give me those days back when loyalty to one's club,, country and cause meant everything!
This is where rugby fans show their class. They can recognise and applaud great players from other teams, countries. It's very refreshing to be honest. A footnote to the game. This is how rugby should be played. Today's players and coaches please take note.
@@belshbelsh6962 That style of play is now extinct, and actually no longer possible due to the tightness and organization of modern defenses. The players are much bigger, stronger and faster also. It`s a shame, because the game was a much more attractive spectacle, and modern rugby union is more like rugby league these days.
@@myrddingwynedd2751 I get your point but slightly disagree. That being the case, everyone should get bigger, stronger, faster, more skillful. Coaches are so conditioned not to lose, they become far to defensive and scared of attacking with flair. The latest Lions tour was a prime example. Both coaches put rugby back thirty years with their style of play. Who would actually travel thousands of miles to see that rubbish.
I was 15 when this game was played and after all these years I still can't believe a rugby game can be played so well by both sides. Amateur rugby really had something special. The star was David Duckham - the best side-step ever! It also shows how bad Going was passing and how good Bob Burgess was picking it up at his feet all the time. The Dawes "no try" would have been better than the first in my opinion. Thanks for a great video compilation.
That's what a five-eight is for. Great hands to catch anything and everything good and bad from the halfback. I grew and watching Paul McLean's fantastic soft hands, then Mark Ella, then had the privilege of watching a young Michael Lynagh (from 13 years of age on:; three years younger than me at school) go on to be one of the greatest Test five-eights. They all had great soft hands but they all had time.
I never ever put on Rugby shirt,never played it at school . BUT,i was 20 when this game took place and i've loved it ever since. When Barry John mysteriously retired after the 1972 Lions tour to New Zealand i was gutted and thought he could never be replaced. Well,Up steps Phil Bennette,probably even better. The 5th Test as i like to call it had the finest array backs the 4 nations had. Except for Gerald Davies perhaps,but JohnBevan was imperious that day,shrugging off tacklers and fully playing his part. David Duckhams sidestep is a thing of beauty.. On thatday,he became one of Wales own.Dai Duckham. I've watched all the Ba Ba's tries over and over again. Every frame of the try of the centuary hundreds of times. It gives me great joy when i have cause for a re run. Cliff Morgans magical words add that extra dimension. Bill Mc Claren was ill i seem to remember and great though he was,it wouldn't have been quite the same without Morgans phrases. And the Arms park gave it that special edge which Twickenham lacks making it even more special.
@@myroseaccount Dai Duckham the greatest Englishman never to play for Wales, what a gentleman off the field. Always had loads of time for young supporters at Coundon Road even for those of us who were from the other side of the Severn.
This was an extraordinary game even by the standards of the time where lot of Rugby was an endless dirge of kicking and forwards heaving to and fro with backs dropping the ball and no continuity. This was before talk of taking the ball through the phases. No talk of gain lines or hard yards. Rugby could be played this way but most often it wasn't. The Barbars spun everything at every opportunity and the All Blacks were taken completely by surprise. But fair play to the All Black they played the game in the same spirit and tried to open up themselves and didn't try to crunch everything with their forwards and came back strongly in the second half. This is the immortal game that has been held up for decades as the way we would like to see Rugby played. But we also want to win. No one would have minded if the Barbars threw the ball around and lost as long as they scored a few stunning tries. In this amazing game they came out on top. But most of the time this sort of Rugby is going to lose as most of the time you are not going to have a backline like this team.
Huge thanks for placing this on youtube, it's fantastic and great to see the disallowed try which was as good as "that try". Well done tracypwns, you've done a great service. The only pity is that we'll probably never see a rugby match like it again!
1:43 One of my favorite commentaries, as it ties Cliff Morgan's wonderful character with his shear joy of the monumental try. "Edwards... What can touch a man like that?"
Watching this is like watching the 1970 Brazilian football team, plus Michael Jordon, Ilia Nastase, George Best Seve Ballesteros, Mohammed Ali Viv Richards Usain Bolt Ayton Senna and others that I am too tired to think of but I hope you get my drift !!!
What a magnificent game and unbelievable I will never see another game like this in my life and what some legends at their best, I can remember seeing the game live on tv 🙏🙏🙏
Two amazing passes from Slattery - one gets pinged the other doesn't. I love the way the cameraman buys Duckham's dummy! Happy memories as nowadays they are all doped to the eyeballs.
Wow - what talent on display. Very impressed with how the onus is on keeping the ball alive even if greater risk. It's one of the very few occassions when you can look back 50 years and say the skill level was equivalent and perhaps beyond what it is today. A joy to watch.
Just as many regard the 1970 Brazillian Soccer team who played in the Fifa World Cup Final between Brazil and Italy in Mexico as probably the greatest team to have ever been assembled this was arguably the finest collection of Rugby players on a pitch together at any one time. Sometimes Sport transcends the bounderies of its normal sphere of interest and is appreciated by a wider audience simply because one cannot argue with sheer brilliance.
So so many elements came together this January day in Cardiff to make this game of a lifetime so utterly unforgettable and etched in my memory. Cliff Morgans unique, brilliant, summation and appreciation of the epic nature of what we were witnessing . Largely made in Wales, but throw in Mike Gibsons wizardry, Duckhams side stepping dash, Fergus Slattery s contribution is often overlooked. But it was key to the ba bas win. It was an afternoon like no other. And for me the try by JPR at the death even eclipses Gareth Edwards try with it's wave after wave of sustained awesome play.
JPR nearly had his head taken off ( for the second time in as many minutes ).....the final pass from Quinnell looks forward....in today's world the TMO would not have allowed this magnificent try to happen....the joy of this beautiful sporting moment would have been stolen from us who love this game.
My dad was Turkish Cypriot that came over to London in the 50's and for some reason fell in love with sport and loved the Wales rugby team of these great great men... We all knew the reasons back then but how can you not love that Welsh team... God Bless them all
If you're of a certain age, that game, and that try especially, is one of THE great moments in sport. Cliff Morgan's commentary did it justice too. Wonderful all round.
This wasn't like today's Barbarian games. This was a match that really mattered. There were no World Cups in those days. It was effectively a 5th Lions Test after the 1971 tour. A chance for New Zealand to put things right. Look at the high tackles on JPR. At least three in only 9 minutes of highlights. A truly legendary game. And if it hadn't been for a couple of last ditch tackles, 'that try' wouldn't even have been the best one in the game!
I’m not a massive rugby fan but enjoy it. These brilliant players who I remember watching with my dad as a boy seemed so much better than today’s players, so much faster and more skilful . Definitely more enjoyable to watch. The only aspect of the game that is better now is goal kicking. And don’t forget, these guys weren’t getting paid.
Absolutely! Professionalism has ultimately ruined our once great game - and it constantly gets worse - knee jerk law changes on the strength of one game etc. and all to please `the crowd`, most of whom have no idea.
This game was a sheer classic. Professionalism has indeed destroyed the game. In those days centres were 12/13 stone, now they're 16/17 stone. Unless you want to spend hours in the gym, forget about playing the modern game.
@@peterallebone6446 And I think it’s also one of the reasons that grass roots participation has plummeted. There’s far less real social rugby these days.
An amazing game, played by legends. Fascinating to note how relatively ordinary the players look. There are quite a few knock ons compared to modern play, but the flair is off the charts. Duckham's play is amazing, possibly the greatest dummy ever, where he almost beats the camera. And I'm assuming it was standard operating procedure to tackle JPR Williams around the head at every occasion?
Back home in Northern Ireland at the time, I was at Grammar School but also playing for one of the local teams of Limavady RFC. After the morning game we all crowded into the club house to watch the game, we'd lost the game but the pints were flowing. Back then rugby was considered a Protestant game, and Catholics played Gaelic football. I never played it, and that day we were all together in the club house to watch what was a seminal game of rugby enshrined later and for many years as how running rugby should be played - Phil Bennet's side steps, the counterattack with the forwards supporting the backs and Gareth Edwards's sprint for the line. Absolutely brilliant, knocking the wind out of the All Blacks' sails.
As young a English man growing up in the 70’s Gareth Edwards , Phil Bennett, JPR and the forgotten man of welsh rugby John Bevan,ostracised for signing to rugby league, showed an exuberance and flair no one could match and certainly no English players then.RIP Phil Bennett
I was at Lanchester Poly (in Coventry) from 1970 - 74 and went to almost all Coventry #Football# Club's home games at Coundon Road. So, I had the privilege of watching David Duckham in his prime. In one game (I think against London Welsh), he scored a try after a weaving run that started near his own try line and beat most of the opposition. Towards the end, some of them were just standing watching and applauding in admiration! I watched this game on the TV - fantastic! Such memories! # This was the name of the rugby team which is why the football club had to be called Coventry City.
Ha Ha. Yes, the Haka was like something shy schoolgirls would do at the school play, all looking at each other to check they were doing it right. How times have changed.
There were some of the best rugby players in the history of the game on that pitch, on both sides. Legends. Sad to know that so many have passed away. RIP, all of them.
The Welsh backs from the 70s were legendary but David Duckham was mighty that day. Time and again he ran through that All Black defence like a knife through butter.
Magic, love the hair and love the sidesteps! Also its good seeing Duckham playing for someone good, i remember watching all these 100 greatest ever tries videos when I was a kid and Duckham would be on about half of them, making a despairing dive as the welsh/kiwi/aussie went past him to score.
David Duckham passed today and his England team at the time were also rans and he got very little quality ball.But, with the Welsh wizardry of Edwards, Bennett,JPR and the genius of Mike Gibson alongside him,he could showcase his sidestepping, dashing brilliance. That guy was some player. An absolute gent am on that January day 50 years ago an honorary Welshman. Dai Duckham RIP
Son of a man, his side stepping was filthy, he was ahead of his time, beautiful art, what a player, rest in peace legend
Sorry that you lost a good friend. All the best. Stay safe and warm. JFox. Xxxxx
If one closes one's eyes and recalls JPR in action, in the mind's eye, through the mists of time, it all comes vividly back. The leap, the catch, the sideboards, the seemingly obligatory opposition stiff arm to the head and yet, undaunted and apparently invulnerable, JPR just ploughed on. The side step, the socks rolled down, the inimitable gait, part athlete, part warrior, wholly immortal. RIP and thanks for the memories JPR.
And a Doctor to boot.
I watch this over and over and it still brings tears to my eyes. Rugby is a great game today but these guys were just stellar.
Me too ,what a team that day ,
Nah - rugby today can not hold a candle to the days when The Barbarians played the field. Team play, quick thinking, situational awareness, humility and guts are just not anywhere near as good as they were in those days.
@@CP-sy9cd Yes, I'd rather watch these guys any day than the regimented, over trained (with a few exceptions) players of today.
RIP David Duckham. A joy to watch. Literally poetry in motion.
A honorary welshman
@@roystonwilliams3374 naaa....he became Welsh that day...
I don't care that people say this game, or that game was the best ever, because anyone that's ever played rugby, watched rugby or just heard of rugby hasn't a clue if they don't regard this as the best game in history.. Many of the 74 lions that are quite possibly the best team in history were gracing the arms park in the famed Baa Baa's shirts, and an amazing all blacks line up, contributed to a game that produced an electric atmosphere from start to finish, and two of the best tries ever scored. Not to mention Cliff Morgan's amazing commentary that many can still recite for Gareth Edwards try..
Just heard of the passing of David Duckham. Another legend of this Barbarians team. RIP, fella.
So sad to hear of his passing. Rip Dai
I’ll never forget his free kick against Greece at Old Trafford.
Dai Duckham. For the Welsh to take an Englishman into their hearts the way they did says so much about him. RIP.
I was there that day, in the east terrace, behind the posts when Phil Bennett started it all and far away from the Gareth Edwards try. The whole ground shook. I remember looking at the scoreboard to my right at half time. 17-0. Magic day.... Duckham was fantastic that day. He was good enough to be Welsh.. Five of us lads set off from Pembrokeshire in West wales with six tickets. We walked against the crowd offering the spare ticket at face value but there were no takers. That ticket would be worth thousands today.. The five were me. David Edwards, Terry Davies, John James, Chris Brown, and "Sharkey" Phillips. The chosen ones that day....And fresh in the minds 40 odd years later.
Didn't the Welsh christen him "Dai Duckham"? He was certainly a one off player.
David Edwards .... amazing!
Sure, Phil Bennett had an amazing side-step but Duckham seems to glide past people, a bit before my time unfortunately but I'm trying to find all of his videos.
I was probably standing behind you. E terrace was about the only place us youngsters could afford! It was a magical day no doubt.
David Edwards my father had 2 tickets but had to work that day so gave them to my Grandfather. When my dad got home he asked his father if it was a good game and my grandad said 'oh aye wasn't bad' and laughed. My Dad hates his old boss to this day
Greatest game ever played on both sides of ball. Legends all over field in both teams. So sad they all get old and are greatly missed. Their humility in scoring and their deeds on field is extraordinary.
This was played to us at Longlevens Rugby Club in Gloucester on projector during a mini rugby training session in the mid 70's, i had never seen it before then, i remember the hair standing up on the back of my neck, lump in my throat and tingling all over, walked out back onto the training pitch feeling invincible and 10 foot tall, absolutely blew me away... still makes me feel that way when i watch it today... phenomenal game...
I still remember it. 13 years old, on a grey Saturday afternoon watching this in black and white. I had never paid much attention to Rugby Union. We did not play it at school, and although some of my family were fans of the game, I was not.
Yet that Saturday afternoon, I sat, entranced, spellbound, not believing what I was watching. And I have been a devotee from that day to this, and time does not diminish its magnificence in the slightest.
I'm an England fan till I die, but you have to say Welsh rugby in the 70s was on another planet. What a talent pool they had back then.
Umm maybe not,the last time Wales beat NZ was in 1953 lol.
@@Trajan2401 Had there been a TMO in 1978, Wales would have won then.
@@philipmarsden7104 "TMO" What does that mean ?
Almost 50 years to the day. RIP David Duckham.. His sidestep even fooled the camera.
Legends were created that day. Edwards, Duckham, Gibson, Williams, the Bevan power try etc etc etc.... Duckham even had his name changed from David to Dai. You can watch 'the try' 10,000 times and not get bored of it. I find this game very moving. So many great players at the top of their game, show boating their skills. The poor All Blacks...there seems a sense of desperation amongst them at times....and they were the greatest team of the age. This game moved rugby forward and created generations of fans. Well done boys!
Wales were best overall in the 70s up to the summer of 78 when Edwards, Bennett and Gerald Davies had retired
Legends - Yes. But you left out the man who really created "that try" by sidestepping 4 All Blacks in front of his own posts - Phil Bennett - the best #10 Wales has ever produced
Sir phil bennett the greatest rugby player we were ever blessed to see his skills were extraordiary the side steps and body swerves were in perfect rythem with his amazing acceleration god bless you sir phil bennett
Agree with you - it’s very moving to watch it. I was 9 at the time, and it’s still the most exciting and best quality game I’ve seen
Great words mate
NOT JUST THE GREATEST TRY IN RUGBY BUT ONE OF THE GREATEST MOMENTS IN SPORT.
David duckham was the only reason i started to play this wonderful game.sidestepping bodyswerving brilliance..God bless him.💙
There was no greater sight in Rugby than David Duckham in full flight - what a player!
‘Dai’ Duckham - legend
@John O'Neill DD had grace and style whereas Lomu was merely a muscleman with pace!
@John O'Neill Do you not think that his greater notoriety is in part due to the fact that he played in the modern era which meant that more of his games were televised and recorded? Did he not also play for better sides as well as playing more internationals per season?
Duckham was electric ....be worth a fortune today .
Duckham could sidestep the entire planet.
As English mini rugby-playing kids in the 70s, Edwards and Bennett were pure heroes to me and my older brother; we wanted to be like them!
I'm a lad from Liverpool (well a 61 year old lad). Running was my sport, but when I started secondary school in.1972 we had to play rugby in PE. Liverpool comprehensive schools had rugby teams, unbelievable now but true. I fell in love with both codes of rugby. .In the running club I was a member of we used to have club runs on Saturday when there wasn't a fixture. That day of the Ba-bas match was one of the days. I was sat in my kit and watched the opening 10 minutes before summoned by my dad to leave. What a match ! One of the most exciting, memorable sporting experiences EVER! I still get goosebumps watching it and would show this to anyone who doesn"t get rugby. PS God praise David Duckham- twinkletoes ! I wanted to be like him at the time.
Agree Andrew. As I’ve said in a post elsewhere, I love both codes but this was the best ever 80 minutes
Sometimes there's just magic in the air. Will we ever see the likes of this again? There's a spontaneity, a feeling that anything could happen that just doesn't seem to exist in any modern sport. Incredible noise from the crowd, the 1970's was a much maligned decade yet, in hindsight, was an unbelievably creative era for many things. Pity, the world seems to have become homogeneous and revolves around tedious technology and celebrity rather than the sheer talent on display here.
Did JPR's head have a target on it by the way?
Well said Paul....
It seemed like Brian Williams and Grant Batty we’re teeing of on JPR’s head! All to no avail! Nothing was going to change that result that day!
Electricity crackled from the tv screen for games like this in that era.
From the highlights it seems every time JPR touched the ball, he was given a head shot by NZ, but never once did he lose the ball, he shovelled it on to a team mates, and issued the coupe de grace himself at the end
47 years on and I still get goose bumps watching it.
As long as my eyesight is able to watch this game, I will never tire of it. So sad though to see some of these mesmeric players leaving us though, wonderful memories of a wonderful era!
I was only 19 when I watched this match. Unforgettable, brilliant.
Some of the dummies sold in the match wouldn't have looked out of place on Oxford Street in London. I loved the one when David Duckham actually dummied the cameraman, sending him the wrong way, along with millions of viewers as well.
Duckham's run at 3.25 is so good it sent the cameraman the wrong way!
He was Brilliant.
I'd love to see the stats of his game that day. The brief highlights show him making 3 clean breaks, at least 13 defenders beaten and he must have run well over 100 metres. He would really have been a stand out winger for England if they'd had a better side in the late 60's - mid 70's when he played.
Brilliant observation, just brilliant! 😂🤣😂
Didn't hear of David Duckham's passing here in NZ. One of best wings to play for England and his performance in this Babaas match was superb.
RIP David Duckham. Came to watch this clip in tribute. I bet you'll slip in through the pearly gates by making St Peter look the wrong way 🙂
Very seldom do you hear a Welshman praise an English player. BUT for that 80 minutes Dai Duckham was taken to Welsh hearts. Yes, the maestro of the sidestep Gerald Davies was missing,but for sheer style Duckham had few equals. All 15 played their part in this magical game.And it was seen as the 5th Test match,following the Lions win in New Zealand the previous year. I watched it live on that never to be forgotten January afternoon. What i find most intriguing is why Tom David got so few caps for Wales though.He was mammoth throughout.I've watched the highlights of this game what must be hundreds of times now and i always come back to it. Cliff Morgans commentary,with those brilliant lines of his,even rivalling Ken Wolstenholmes THEY THINK ITS ALL OVER,IT IS NOW for their memorable quality.Bill Mcclaren,God bless him,couldn't have done a better job.
That three quarter back line was so much superior to the All Blacks on that day,they made them look pedestrian and toyed with them at times.
Bill McLaren was down to commentate but got a sore throat the day before. Cliff Morgan stepped in.
19 years old on that January day in 1973,I watched live on BBC ,entranced and transfixed by the majesty of the Ba Bas backline. The late, lamented David Dai Duckham was making the All Black's look like novices,chasing shadows with his dashing,side stepping brilliance. No finer sight than him ball in hand,he had the Cardiff card in raptures.
The crescendo of deafening noise, getting ever louder with each pass, culminating in the Gareth Edwards try is for me the UKs finest sporting passage of play ever.
I've watched it what must be hundreds of times now.
Duckham was brilliant. It's like watching a rugby version of Pele or Maradona.
His talent wasn't fully recognised due to how poor England were in that period. 9 tries in 36 test matches is a very poor return for someone so good.
@@JP1234815 If he'd been Welsh, he'd have been one of a side of giants and would be remembered. As it is, his skill was lost.
@@stewartellinson8846 People that know about rugby have always known how good he was. Yes it's a shame that he was in such a poor England era, but that happens.. Look at Mike Gibson, without doubt one of the best 3 all round players in history, capped 69 times right across the back line. That would have been doubled in today's game. Fergus Slattery a flanker who paved the way for the great modern 7's. Both played for a poor Irish side, but recognised as Duckham is to be true greats.. Its happened in many eras. In the modern game we know how good Sergio Parisse has been in a poor Italian side because of the Internet and saturation coverage. And Dani Gerber, only bettered by BOD as the best centre in history, but hardly mentioned because SA were isolated due to apartheid..
My hero when I was a kid and I have been mistaken for him on a rugby pitch once! If only!! (I did look a bit like him!)
Even the Wels called him Dai Duckham.
I remember watching this game at the age of 9 years old with my Dad, an avid rugby player for Newport. If you are looking down Dad, hope you remember it!
David Duckham, pure brilliance, what he could have done for England if only he'd been given more of the ball.
Devastating at centre but wasted most of his career on the wing.
if he had played in a better England side. Magic.
RIP Phil Bennett. What a sidestep. Stardust in your boots, as you were described today. I watched this game on the telly as a small lad. What a try and indeed what a score!
Di Duckham !!!!! what can you say A very rare breed ... He displayed rugby at its best...what movements never to be see again
David Duckham . One of the classiest wingers these islands have ever produced.
Today the Dawes "try" would probably have been allowed and not denied for a forward pass.RIP DD.One of the all time greats and man of the match for me.
I was 10 at the time of this game. It's a great treat to see our Welsh legends playing at their very best and most entertaining. And this Dai Duckham lad was damned good, too. Never heard of him. I thought I'd learned about all our legends.
I watched this on TV in 73 with my dad. Never forgotten that day. What a game - they'll never be a better try than that!
I was exactly the same. Always watched any televised rugby, whether league or union with my dad.
The lead up pass was 3 metres forward.., a straight run to the line...better trys in club rugby ...but you do put your players on pedestals
I love how they scored a try but no huggs or theatrics. Just a jog back to half way. That’s cool.
The game has changed so much since this match was played. The idea was to run around the opposition with skilful footwork. Now you have players built like michelin men battering through the other team. I much preferred it back in the 70's.
Correct!
I must have watched THAT try, without a word of a lie hundreds of times.The absolutely wizardry of the Welsh boys, with Gibson's genius and David Duckham s dashing sidestepping brilliance on the day, along with the ecstatic Cardiff crowd made this, for me at least the greatest backs performance by any international team. And to think ace try scorer Gerald Davies was injured. John Bevan presented a totally different challenge to Brian Williams and Bevan stepped up big time. Fantastic. Duckham passed today, he was some player. The Cardiff crowd adopted him that day as Dai Duckham..
Learnt today from L'Equipe that the French referee of that match, Georges Domercq, died today, at age 89. May he rest in peace.
I thought the ref played an absolute blinder that day. Allowed the game to flow; quiet authority but unobtrusive.
I'm only 37, so didn't get to see this at the time, but wasn't David Duckham an incredible player? Man!
What strikes me most about David Duckham is how such a tall chap could be so graceful at the same time and as for his acceleration! He really was born to be rugby great.
Duckham didn't actually have great acceleration. His best times for england were when he played wing outside Peter Preese who did have rocket like acceleration. Preece went through the gap, Duckham caught up, Preece passed, try time.
Don't get me wrong. DD is my all time rugby hero. He got 36 caps. If he was playing today it would surely be 80 or 90.
When I played. on the morning before the first match of the season I would watch this game. So that I knew what the goal was. This is all that rugby can be.
Thanks to those legends, you made me love the game that made me a man.
Great memories. Duckham's agility and acceleration were marvelous. The match itself, a classic.
Everyone talks about "The Try" and rightly so. It's the greatest moment of rugby and in the top 5 best ever moments in sport. But...this game. I mean all the other tries were so well put together and scored. I still watch the whole game from time to time. It's untouchable rugby. Special mention for David Duckham and J.P.R. Williams. Both immortal.
Agreed the quality of both sides was incredible and they both chose to play exhibition rugby.
Used to see JPR W walking to work at St. Thomas’ Hospital.
A sobering thought that these days 'that try' would never have been scored- high tackle on JPR for a start. A great game, always brings me fond memories of my grandfather- a passionate Welshman & rugby fan, who died the day after this day. But what a great last match he was able to watch.
Imagine if the ref had stopped play because of that tackle and that try had never been scored.
best English player ever - David Duckham
+nakedmolerat43 I totally agree, whenever he got the ball it was electrifying. I would say the only Englishman to come close in the modern era was Jason Robinson.
nakedmolerat43 none of these players would have been able to cope in today’s game.
The game nowadays is boring and predictable by comparison. Never see the likes of these again
Robbie Johnston Bollocks
Robbie Johnston This was when natural flair and commitment to club and country took presidence. Unlike today where foreign journeymen just chase the bucks and desert their country of origin! Give me those days back when loyalty to one's club,, country and cause meant everything!
As a Welshman I say, David Duckham was an awesome player.
This is where rugby fans show their class. They can recognise and applaud great players from other teams, countries. It's very refreshing to be honest. A footnote to the game. This is how rugby should be played. Today's players and coaches please take note.
@@belshbelsh6962 That style of play is now extinct, and actually no longer possible due to the tightness and organization of modern defenses. The players are much bigger, stronger and faster also. It`s a shame, because the game was a much more attractive spectacle, and modern rugby union is more like rugby league these days.
@@myrddingwynedd2751 I get your point but slightly disagree. That being the case, everyone should get bigger, stronger, faster, more skillful. Coaches are so conditioned not to lose, they become far to defensive and scared of attacking with flair. The latest Lions tour was a prime example. Both coaches put rugby back thirty years with their style of play. Who would actually travel thousands of miles to see that rubbish.
I was 15 when this game was played and after all these years I still can't believe a rugby game can be played so well by both sides. Amateur rugby really had something special. The star was David Duckham - the best side-step ever! It also shows how bad Going was passing and how good Bob Burgess was picking it up at his feet all the time. The Dawes "no try" would have been better than the first in my opinion. Thanks for a great video compilation.
That's what a five-eight is for. Great hands to catch anything and everything good and bad from the halfback. I grew and watching Paul McLean's fantastic soft hands, then Mark Ella, then had the privilege of watching a young Michael Lynagh (from 13 years of age on:; three years younger than me at school) go on to be one of the greatest Test five-eights. They all had great soft hands but they all had time.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone but david duckham throw the cameraman a dummy. Ridiculous talent
Tears are rolling down my face! So emotional. These boys were forged on the back of the Miners from the Vallies-hard, honest men
I wasn't aware that the Babas were All welsh.
I never ever put on Rugby shirt,never played it at school . BUT,i was 20 when this game took place and i've loved it ever since. When Barry John mysteriously retired after the 1972 Lions tour to New Zealand i was gutted and thought he could never be replaced. Well,Up steps Phil Bennette,probably even better. The 5th Test as i like to call it had the finest array backs the 4 nations had. Except for Gerald Davies perhaps,but JohnBevan was imperious that day,shrugging off tacklers and fully playing his part. David Duckhams sidestep is a thing of beauty.. On thatday,he became one of Wales own.Dai Duckham. I've watched all the Ba Ba's tries over and over again. Every frame of the try of the centuary hundreds of times. It gives me great joy when i have cause for a re run. Cliff Morgans magical words add that extra dimension. Bill Mc Claren was ill i seem to remember and great though he was,it wouldn't have been quite the same without Morgans phrases. And the Arms park gave it that special edge which Twickenham lacks making it even more special.
David Duckham has the best step and dummy I have ever seen...
The Welsh christened him Dai after this game. Lovely Man as well.
@@myroseaccount Dai Duckham the greatest Englishman never to play for Wales, what a gentleman off the field. Always had loads of time for young supporters at Coundon Road even for those of us who were from the other side of the Severn.
I’m watching by this in 2021 and duckham nearly sends the CAMERAMAN the wrong way with his change of direction. Awesome.
For me the highlights of that game are Duckham's runs. Just magic.
David Duckham - the grace of a Rolls with the acceleration ofa Ferrari.
This was an extraordinary game even by the standards of the time where lot of Rugby was an endless dirge of kicking and forwards heaving to and fro with backs dropping the ball and no continuity. This was before talk of taking the ball through the phases. No talk of gain lines or hard yards. Rugby could be played this way but most often it wasn't. The Barbars spun everything at every opportunity and the All Blacks were taken completely by surprise. But fair play to the All Black they played the game in the same spirit and tried to open up themselves and didn't try to crunch everything with their forwards and came back strongly in the second half.
This is the immortal game that has been held up for decades as the way we would like to see Rugby played. But we also want to win. No one would have minded if the Barbars threw the ball around and lost as long as they scored a few stunning tries. In this amazing game they came out on top. But most of the time this sort of Rugby is going to lose as most of the time you are not going to have a backline like this team.
Huge thanks for placing this on youtube, it's fantastic and great to see the disallowed try which was as good as "that try". Well done tracypwns, you've done a great service. The only pity is that we'll probably never see a rugby match like it again!
I was lucky enough to see this "live" on TV at the time. From time to time I watch it again because it inspires me and really makes me emotional
1:43 One of my favorite commentaries, as it ties Cliff Morgan's wonderful character with his shear joy of the monumental try. "Edwards... What can touch a man like that?"
Watching this is like watching the 1970 Brazilian football team, plus Michael Jordon, Ilia Nastase, George Best Seve Ballesteros, Mohammed Ali Viv Richards Usain Bolt Ayton Senna and others that I am too tired to think of but I hope you get my drift !!!
The dummy at 3:27 sent the camera the wrong way. Legendary...
AWESOME...A team of LEGENDS. Nearly 50 years ago...BRILLIANT. Thank you for uploading.
What a magnificent game and unbelievable I will never see another game like this in my life and what some legends at their best, I can remember seeing the game live on tv 🙏🙏🙏
Two amazing passes from Slattery - one gets pinged the other doesn't. I love the way the cameraman buys Duckham's dummy! Happy memories as nowadays they are all doped to the eyeballs.
Wow - what talent on display. Very impressed with how the onus is on keeping the ball alive even if greater risk. It's one of the very few occassions when you can look back 50 years and say the skill level was equivalent and perhaps beyond what it is today. A joy to watch.
Just as many regard the 1970 Brazillian Soccer team who played in the Fifa World Cup Final between Brazil and Italy in Mexico as probably the greatest team to have ever been assembled this was arguably the finest collection of Rugby players on a pitch together at any one time. Sometimes Sport transcends the bounderies of its normal sphere of interest and is appreciated by a wider audience simply because one cannot argue with sheer brilliance.
50 years on and still get goosebumps everytime i watch this...
Brilliant brilliant commentating from Mr Cliff Morgan
Watching this one week from 50 years later. The handling of the ball by backs and forwards alike was incredible. Best match ever.
So so many elements came together this January day in Cardiff to make this game of a lifetime so utterly unforgettable and etched in my memory. Cliff Morgans unique, brilliant, summation and appreciation of the epic nature of what we were witnessing . Largely made in Wales, but throw in Mike Gibsons wizardry, Duckhams side stepping dash, Fergus Slattery s contribution is often overlooked. But it was key to the ba bas win. It was an afternoon like no other. And for me the try by JPR at the death even eclipses Gareth Edwards try with it's wave after wave of sustained awesome play.
JPR nearly had his head taken off ( for the second time in as many minutes ).....the final pass from Quinnell looks forward....in today's world the TMO would not have allowed this magnificent try to happen....the joy of this beautiful sporting moment would have been stolen from us who love this game.
My dad was Turkish Cypriot that came over to London in the 50's and for some reason fell in love with sport and loved the Wales rugby team of these great great men...
We all knew the reasons back then but how can you not love that Welsh team...
God Bless them all
If you're of a certain age, that game, and that try especially, is one of THE great moments in sport. Cliff Morgan's commentary did it justice too. Wonderful all round.
Remember watching live on Grandstand ...Epic Game! I still get goosebumps now! 😂🤘🎸😎
And they say that football is the beautiful game! Nah! when Rugby is played like it can be played, then no other sport compares.
I remember buying this on video, and it is the first, and probably only time, I've ever seen a TV cameraman dummied like that! Incredible!
This wasn't like today's Barbarian games. This was a match that really mattered. There were no World Cups in those days. It was effectively a 5th Lions Test after the 1971 tour. A chance for New Zealand to put things right. Look at the high tackles on JPR. At least three in only 9 minutes of highlights.
A truly legendary game. And if it hadn't been for a couple of last ditch tackles, 'that try' wouldn't even have been the best one in the game!
As an all blacks fan i can say undoubtedly that the Barbarians were unbelievable....Duckham was amazing
I’m not a massive rugby fan but enjoy it. These brilliant players who I remember watching with my dad as a boy seemed so much better than today’s players, so much faster and more skilful . Definitely more enjoyable to watch. The only aspect of the game that is better now is goal kicking. And don’t forget, these guys weren’t getting paid.
a far better brand of rugbythan the current game, normal sizemen playing their hearts out
Absolutely! Professionalism has ultimately ruined our once great game - and it constantly gets worse - knee jerk law changes on the strength of one game etc. and all to please `the crowd`, most of whom have no idea.
This game was a sheer classic. Professionalism has indeed destroyed the game. In those days centres were 12/13 stone, now they're 16/17 stone. Unless you want to spend hours in the gym, forget about playing the modern game.
@@peterallebone6446 And I think it’s also one of the reasons that grass roots participation has plummeted. There’s far less real social rugby these days.
Absolutely @mike acton
The amount of head tackles by the kiwi's was shocking!
brian William love tackling around the head..
And Plenty of foward passing mixed in by both sides.
Cliff Morgan was a superb commentator, really caught the passion of the game.
An amazing game, played by legends. Fascinating to note how relatively ordinary the players look. There are quite a few knock ons compared to modern play, but the flair is off the charts. Duckham's play is amazing, possibly the greatest dummy ever, where he almost beats the camera. And I'm assuming it was standard operating procedure to tackle JPR Williams around the head at every occasion?
Back home in Northern Ireland at the time, I was at Grammar School but also playing for one of the local teams of Limavady RFC. After the morning game we all crowded into the club house to watch the game, we'd lost the game but the pints were flowing. Back then rugby was considered a Protestant game, and Catholics played Gaelic football. I never played it, and that day we were all together in the club house to watch what was a seminal game of rugby enshrined later and for many years as how running rugby should be played - Phil Bennet's side steps, the counterattack with the forwards supporting the backs and Gareth Edwards's sprint for the line. Absolutely brilliant, knocking the wind out of the All Blacks' sails.
Duckham. Poetry in motion.
After watching this game at the age of 12 I fell in love with Rugby, which has lasted for 50 years man and boy
As young a English man growing up in the 70’s Gareth Edwards , Phil Bennett, JPR and the forgotten man of welsh rugby John Bevan,ostracised for signing to rugby league, showed an exuberance and flair no one could match and certainly no English players then.RIP Phil Bennett
Gee whiz! You only ever get to watch ‘the try’ but really, that was just the hors d’oeuvres for the entire game...what a match!
"David Duckham on his own 25 a long way to go but he's prepared"
That David Duckham sure knew how to sidestep.
***** I'm not sure I've seen a better balanced athlete play any sport. Awesome stuff
Fergal Duffy I agree. There is certainly no current England player who is capable of that kind of skill unfortunately.
Glad they showed all the scores, cracking trys on both sides! Batts was phenomenal!
I was at Lanchester Poly (in Coventry) from 1970 - 74 and went to almost all Coventry #Football# Club's home games at Coundon Road. So, I had the privilege of watching David Duckham in his prime. In one game (I think against London Welsh), he scored a try after a weaving run that started near his own try line and beat most of the opposition. Towards the end, some of them were just standing watching and applauding in admiration! I watched this game on the TV - fantastic! Such memories!
# This was the name of the rugby team which is why the football club had to be called Coventry City.
The game where David Duckham became Dai Duckham to every Welshman watching
I think one thing that can unite England and Wales is the shared love of Gareth Williams and David Duckham
Cliff Morgan was our guest speaker at our schools prize-giving back in 1974...Was a privilege to receive a prize from him
Fantastic performance from the Barbarians, how they played so well after that intimidating Haka is beyond me.
lol
Ha Ha. Yes, the Haka was like something shy schoolgirls would do at the school play, all looking at each other to check they were doing it right. How times have changed.
There were some of the best rugby players in the history of the game on that pitch, on both sides. Legends. Sad to know that so many have passed away. RIP, all of them.
What a day that was, so much class on both sides. Never to be forgotten.
The Welsh backs from the 70s were legendary but David Duckham was mighty that day. Time and again he ran through that All Black defence like a knife through butter.
Every time I hear "THIS IS GARETH EDWARDS" it sends tingles down my spine.
Awesome rugby.
Thanks for posting this! Whenever I feel a bit low I look at this and I smile.
Magic, love the hair and love the sidesteps! Also its good seeing Duckham playing for someone good, i remember watching all these 100 greatest ever tries videos when I was a kid and Duckham would be on about half of them, making a despairing dive as the welsh/kiwi/aussie went past him to score.
even now 36 yrs on this is still the greatest game i have ever seen with the greatest try ever scored