1974 British Lions Tour - JPR Williams

[@711honved]

One of the greatest sides to ever grace a rugby pitch. Sadly, we have recently lost Phil Bennett & now the great JPR.

[@stephenaddison2919]

R.I.P JPR Willams another Legend gone but will never be forgotten

[@LionelMessi-ct7tu]

I’m certainly not a Welsh rugby fan, BUT, JPR is a legend. All rugby fans will miss you. 😍

[@steffanhoffmann]

Why aren't you?
I am and I'm a Bok.
They have produced some of the most exciting players.
A nation of 3 million.
Modern day, little Shane Williams was phenomenal.
Are you a bitter Englishman?
😉 👍

[@brianmills6168]

JPR - every South African's favourite non-bok 👊RIP

[@carramario7909]

JPR thanks to the greatest full back I have ever seen. Regards from Italy.

[@catholicrugbyfan1635]

Hi Carra, my two greatest attacking full backs of all time JPR and HO de Villiers. Blessings from South Africa.

[@hendrikdegoede981]

Brilliant team!! Probably one of the best rugby teams ever...

[@dnorfed]

RIP JPR, a titan in a red shirt 🙏🙏🙏

[@dankmdunn4725]

JPR was one of the best and one of my grandathers favourite from back on the day, before my times as i was born in the 80s but an awesome welsh man

[@Round_07]

JPR was the greatest

[@proboskus]

what a beauty haircut on JJ!!! As for JPR, he would be selected in any era. What a legend.

[@chrismorris4392]

RIP legendary JPR

[@catholicrugbyfan1635]

The Greatest Team ever to tour South Africa. The '74 British and Irish Lions side had no weaknesses. Lets not forget the 'Dirttrackers', great players who could not make the Test side...Andy Ripley, Alan Morley, Alan Old, Tony Neary, Mike Burton, members of the England side that beat the Springboks in 1972. Stuart McKinney, a flanker from Ireland kicked a penalty goal against Free State which kept their unbeaten record intact. Still can't work out why John Pullen and David Duckham were not selected....Garry from South Africa.

[@borisstarling7661]

God, Slattery was quick (2:16). That turn of pace would be impressive for an international centre. For a flanker, it's almost unbelievable.

[@jacobusorange7617]

To see these guys play was poetry in motion and never mind apartheid tours they were just great. I am 71 years old and saw two matches they played and followed the other matches on radio but will never forget this lion side they were just brilliant.

[@TainuiaKid1973]

love the Welsh players! Such passion and feel for the game! from NZ

[@thomaspullman3154]

TainuiaKid1973 oh ki in

[@vantheman1238]

If only we still had players like that in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 thank you for your kind words we need them 😂

[@steffanhoffmann]

Correct but there are some negative comments here, in the comments section.
Do you think they're all bitter Englishmen? 😂

[@seamanjive]

I was there at Ellis Park for the final 13all test. I was eighteen and on a mining course in Evander, Eastern Transvaal having emigrated from UK. No tv in SA in 1974. They used to bring reel-to-reel film out to the mine.
I travelled up to Joburg to be with a couple of my British mates for the match day and to listen to it on the radio. I went for a walk and a car stopped next to me. "Soek jy kaarjkies?". Too right I was look for a ticket. I bought it face value and ran to the stadium. The rest is history .

[@luger188]

Thats a great story, cheers

[@seamanjive]

@@luger188 I'm blessed...I was also at the SA v ABs test in 81 at Wellington.

[@christoheiberg312]

I remember witnessing the Lions' absolute genius in the 2nd test at Loftus. My dad and I walked to our car utterly dejected, but in awe. The 4th test result? Lions should not complain. Roger Utley's try in the 1st half should not have been awarded anyhow. Chris Pope touched down before him. Pictures showed that clearly.

[@IwasInThe60s]

What a legend! As were all the 1974 Lions players.

[@catholicrugbyfan1635]

The Greatest Team ever to tour South Africa. Greetings from Johannesburg.

[@blaircockburn4432]

Just fab to watch

[@gregbooth1551]

The greatest Lions team by a mile, they did what we couldn't do (until 1996) and did it in style.

[@A-small-amount-of-peas]

at 5:14 two knees go right into the face of JPR, such a cowardly thing to do and you can tell why they did it as none of them had any way of dealing with him, best fullback of all time and makes me proud to come from Bridgend

[@mizofan]

Best with Blanco and Cullen, great defensively, a really tough competitor, and attacked with panache.

[@3vimages471]

One of my favourite players ever and I am English.

[@jessesands4099]

RIP JPR Williams The Greatest Welsh Full Back In Rugby History!😢😞🙏🌹🏉🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@nomatesman]

JPR Williams was one of the biggest backs of his era. He was 6'1" and weighed over 14 stone i.e. close to 90kg. This was at a time when the average weight of a back would have been about 80kg at most. So he was a big man for the time. Funny I read a similar comment recently in I think "The Times" where they talked about "the scrawny backs of the past like JPR Williams" - not the case he was a big man which no doubt helped him when he played on one occasion as a flanker for Wales.

[@callumsmaile8815]

nomatesman Flanker was his preferred position, probably why he was such an attacking Full back

[@catholicrugbyfan1635]

JPR was also a great tennis player.

[@katiemainwaring3768]

@@callumsmaile8815 7:38

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

2:00 to quote the Bard himself “Tommy David, he very big man”

[@ay613]

Pace. Power. Passion.

[@ericmesser1]

RIP>>>>>JPR. Legend👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@TainuiaKid1973]

great footage, I was just a year old in 1974, but even here in NZ, growing up I remember the name JPR Williams. Finally I get to see him play! Thanks for uploading!

[@user-te3jc3sl7r]

The Lions were rampant in South Africa in 1974. Unbeaten in 22 matches and destroying the Boks in the first 3 tests.

[@heywoodjerbloume]

Best team to ever leave South Africa.

[@wobblertv8083]

Bobby Windsor. ...what a legend.

[@henry-nr5np]

Great side 1974 Lions,,,

[@annetteelliott1494]

Best Lions team ever.....

[@catholicrugbyfan1635]

For sure! The 3rd Test in PE where the Lions clinched the Test series was my first Test as a schoolboy, was awesome. Willie John and Fergus Slattery visited my school , De La Salle College in East London.

[@grandslam1998]

They had a ball!

[@jc333jc]

JPR. To be known world-wide by only your initials means you were a bit special.
Plus it's great to see Gordon Brown in some clips. A very underrated player these days.

[@popegregoryix9775]

+Johnmac I always thought it was to distinguish him from JJ Williams - but I know what you mean - mention the inital JPR to any rugby fan... Agree with you about Gordon Brown. How special was Phil Bennett too - I never got to see Barry John play - so I can't make a comparison - but I don't think I've seen a better fly half than Bennett.

[@celticwarrior1365]

PopeGregoryIX By his own admission, fear of being tackled by an 18 stone+ forward is what made Phil Bennett such a great side-stepper. And I, for one, don't blame him! Haha!

[@-NemoMeImpuneLacessit]

Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett, JJ, and JPR. A quartet of a Welsh Wizards, they tormented England, but I still could not help being in awe of their brilliance.

[@catholicrugbyfan1635]

Hi Johnmac... JPR and HO. Gordon Brown, a Legend and a Gentleman...Rest in Peace, Gordon Brown. You can Google the story on Gordon Brown and Springbok lock, Johan De Bruyn, who had a glass eye. Greetings from Johannesburg.

[@jc333jc]

@@catholicrugbyfan1635 Gordon was my coach for a while. when I was a schoolboy. He paired up with me for tackling practice and seemed to be impressed. then he told me to tackled him properly and several of my bones sprung awry. He was devastated and took me to the hospital and stayed with me. after phoning my parents. It was only a sprung collar bone but the man was, and remains a great hero of mine. Funny, a gentleman and a very good player.

[@timshears2099]

My school took me to two of those matches.

[@martinwilliams8402]

It's called the British and Irish Lions

[@davidhayward3792]

Not in 1974

[@donalryan2429]

Sad to hear about Slatterys dementia

[@grandslam1998]

They are the best sporting team ever to leave the British Isles !

[@williamwallace2278]

Those pitches? Must of been like playing on concrete

[@geoffjones4285]

Where these chaps called amateurs during this tour
We’ve never come close to emulating them since

[@chanctonbury63]

JPR wasnt a particularly big man, or fast for that matter, but he read the game so well. Not only that, he was as hard and as brave as they come.

[@martinwilliams8402]

He was a junior Wimbledon champion

[@welshtoro3256]

@Mebrice Depace That's right and he was afraid of nothing or anybody. Strong as an ox and would yield to nobody. I was a kid growing up in his era and his name was legend.

[@timlewis1165]

He was a judge at the Swansea Beer Festival a couple of years ago. He walked passed me and I can confirm he is hardly tiny

[@Rugbygorilla]

He was 6"1 and 14 stone when playing as a back. Not a small man by any means

[@catholicrugbyfan1635]

JPR's drop goal in the 4th Test clinched the first ever Test series win for the Lions against NZ in 1971. I saw him in PE in 1974, in the 3rd Test against the Springboks. A true Legend.

[@michaelwallace8861]

Should show whern runs from deep in his own area and lays a couple if Bookkies out within few punches in a 99 call

[@Dylanscam1]

3:09 music by Brian Finch :-)

[@michaelcassidy1864]

Actually its the Brit and also Irish Lions

[@williamwallace2278]

What a captain and leader WJM was Fergus Slattery was no slouch either at blindside

[@tallshort1849]

JJ Williams was a former sprinter for Wales and during training Slattery used to race him and sometimes won. He was the only player in the side that got close to him

[@SuperMandelson]

1971 Lions

[@cliffhughes6010]

Slattery scored.

[@theegyptianfringe8074]

Gods

[@anthonyronan5843]

British and Irish Lions mo chara.

[@henry-nr5np]

These bokke tackle bad bad bad

[@SuperMandelson]

does anyone know what the song is at the start?

[@halcyon289]

J(ust) P(erfect) R(ugby) Williams

[@biggusdikkus1807]

And the rest is history - well that try was disallowed - was it a try? - I believe there are only two people left in the world who know the answer - one is Springbok center Peter Cronje and the other Lion flanker Fergus Slattery

[@matlam3894]

The best 15 of all times! Rugby total à la French flair! ;) Quand on les regarde jouer, c'est les français d'aujourd'hui...
ruclips.net/video/DRV7oViOLsA/видео.html

[@henry-nr5np]

The ball whas not ground no try

[@grandslam1998]

Good shout but they lose one game and draw one game in NZ.

[@grandslam1998]

They are the best sporting team to leave the British isles!

[@cianw2942]

*British & Irish. There was Irish people on the team so calling them the ‘British Lions’ is factually incorrect.

[@barbarahallinan1151]

sorry but its not the british lions..........there are players from the republic of ireland so not british .again listen

[@marklyttle5449]

In 1974 it was the British Lions, the "and Irish" bit came later.

[@cianw2942]

Mark Lyttle But that makes no sense. Its factually incorrect. Irish people arent British.

[@jc333jc]

Ah but to feck weren't they just a marvellous team? Willie John Put all of the political malarkey to bed straight away. They were a team.

[@rohp1283]

Why did these guys go to Apartheid SA??

[@user-wp1go6uj8l]

Horrible Springbook high tackles on show.

[@alexhollins5830]

Shame on that tour and those who venerate the participants. Those who declined to go deserve infinitely more kudos than those who chose to legitimise one of the most revolting regimes in human history.

[@welshtoro3256]

I hear what you're saying Alex and by today's standards what you say is undoubtedly true. However, we were a long way from that place in 1974. There was certainly no excuse for the English cricketers 7 years later - That was blood money. I think many people were just not so switched on in the early 70's. That's bad but it's just how it was. The anti-apartheid movement changed gear in the late 70's and the excuse that "sport and politics shouldn't mix" seemed intellectually ridiculous or embarrassingly naive. We are very much more aware of the international world than people were then. We can agree that the South African regime was revolting and a stain on humanity. Cheers. WT

[@bendigeidfranemmanueljones5694]

Didn't look legit ubermensch after it though did they?

[@georgeholland6725]

The ANC raygeem which supplanted the nationalists turned out to be far more racist.

[@kentimmins9171]

You ignorance is abhorrent bro.
White South Africans were and still are by any measure the most civilized people in Africa,

[@ranbirgill4718]

Was Gibson in the squad?