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9 December 2015
Golly! Turning back the clock today! Martin Devlin of Radio Sport in New Zealand has just had me on-air on his programme asking for memories of the first ever 'Grand Slam win' by an All Blacks team in the United Kingdom. I gave him my best based on using notes from my 'Encyclopedia of World Rugby' published in the 1990s (and updated here) concerning which southern hemisphere countries had done best at this unique achievement. Read on here;
South Africa's Springboks achieved the most impressive Grand Slam feats of all beating all five teams on its UK and France tours of 1912–13 and 1951–52. New Zealand and Australia have not ever done that.
And in 1960–61 the Springboks beat the four United Kingdom teams but drew with France, and in 1931–32 it beat the four UK teams but did not play France. So South Africa kind of lead the way here I think you might agree.
The All Blacks did not win their first Grand Slam against British and Irish countries until 1978, under the captaincy of Graham Mourie. But that team did not play France on that tour. The ‘Invincibles’ New Zealand team of 1924–25 also won four internationals, including against France, but did not play Scotland. The 1967 All Blacks (Brian Lochore's team) also won four internationals but did not play Ireland.
At the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa the All Blacks won a 'World Cup Grand Slam' beating Ireland and Wales in pool play; Scotland in a quarter-final and England in a semi-final. No other team has done that.
The All Blacks have also won Grand Slams in 2005 (captain Tana Umaga), 2008 and 2010 (both under Richie McCaw). Those ones do not include games v France. But still that means NZ have four 'UK Grand Slams.' Sadly since 2010 the world of rugby officialdom and marketing have not allowed the All Blacks to attempt any more 'GS's".
Australia won its only Grand Slam against all four 'Home' countries in 1984. They did not play France.
Australia had a 'Grand Slam of defeats' on their 1957-58 tour, losing all five games including against France. But their 1947-48 team had another unique Grand Slam; That team did not win all four internationals but in their four games, win or lose, they did not have their try-line crossed.
In terms of UK Grand Slams among the English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish and French teams, perhaps the England effort of 1928 deserves to be called the greatest, when it beat all the other teams in the Five Nations championship as well as the 1928 season’s touring team, the famous ‘Waratahs’ of New South Wales." Well done England!
Keith Quinn
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In Moscow the NZ Women beat Canada 29-12 to win their first world 7s final. An hour later NZ's Men's team beat England 33-0 for a great 'daily double.'
DAVIES, GERALD
Cardiff, London Welsh and Wales
46 internationals for Wales 1966–78
5 internationals for British Isles 1968–71
One of the most brilliant wings the game has known, Gerald Davies was the prince of sidesteppers, a master of speed and a crowd-pleaser in the extreme. Had he not missed several tours for personal reasons, his talent would have been more widely acclaimed.
Davies finished his schooling and education at Loughborough College and Cambridge University. Imbued with their spirit of playing enjoyable rugby, he soon made his way into the Welsh team. His first international was against Australia in 1966, as a centre.
He played 12 full internationals in that position before making the change to the wing. If he was a success as a centre (good enough to be chosen as a British Lion to South Africa in 1968) he became a wing of exceptional class. His size (only 73kg – 111/2 stone) meant that he was rapidly becoming outmoded as a centre at a time when crash-ball specialists were being used more and more. It was as a wing that he could display more expressively his talents for speed and balance.
Davies was considered one of the best sidesteppers the game has seen, especially off his right foot. Many of his markers and opponents could attest to this, none more so than the Hawke’s Bay team in New Zealand in 1971, which played the British Isles at Napier. Davies sidestepped repeatedly at high speed and ran in four brilliant tries.
Davies played all four test matches for the Lions on that tour, having earlier played in the third test at Cape Town in South Africa in 1968. He declined to tour twice with the Lions, to South Africa in 1974 (uncomfortable with what he had seen of the apartheid policies in 1968) and to New Zealand in 1977, but continued as an international until June 1978, when he quit at the age of 33. His last test match was Wales v Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
At the time his 46 appearances on the wing and at centre made him Wales’s most-capped three-quarter. He and Gareth Edwards then shared the record (20) as the highest try-scorers in Welsh internationals.
Gerald Davies later joined the list of former players who wrote and broadcast about the game. He had a number of books published and was also been an expert television presenter and commentator.
His standing in Wales was such that he was chosen to be the Opening Ceremony ‘voice’ of the Rugby World Cup in Cardiff in 1999.
In 2009 the respect in which Gerald Davies was held was confirmed when he was invited to be the Manager of the British and Irish touring team to South Africa. He also played significant roles as a member of the Board of Directors for the Welsh Rugby Union and a sitting member of the International Rugby Board.
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