99 call
In rugby union, the "99" call was a policy of simultaneous retaliation by the Lions during their 1974 tour to South Africa.[1] The tour was marred by on-pitch violence, which the match officials did little to control and the relative absence of cameras compared to the modern game made citing and punishment after the fact unlikely.[2][nb 1]
Lions' captain Willie John McBride therefore instigated a policy of "one in, all in" - that is, when one Lion retaliated, all other Lions were expected to join in the melee or hit the nearest Springbok.[3] By doing so, the referee would be unable to identify any single instigator and so would be left with the choice of sending off all or none of the team. In this respect, the "99" call was extremely successful, as no Lions player was sent off during the tour.
At the battle of Boet Erasmus Stadium,[4] one of the most violent matches in rugby history,[5][6] there is famous video footage of J.P.R. Williams running over half of the pitch and launching himself at Johannes van Heerden after such a call,[7] something that Williams says he is not proud of.[3]
[edit] References
- footnotes
- ^ "According to the captain, Willie John McBride, the call was supposed to be '999'- for emergency - but he never had time to shout out the third '9'!"("‘A Pride of Lions’ Presented by Genesis Publications". Rugby Football Union Rugby Museum. p. 7. http://www.rfu.com/microsites/museum/pdfs/museum_britishlionspanels.pdf.)
- citations
- ^ Dolan, Damian (15 May 2009). "JPR Williams remembers the call of 99". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/jpr-williams-remembers-the-call-of-99-1676796.html.
- ^ Staff (21 April 2009). "Lions rampant - The 1974 South Africa tour and that amazing punch-up". Metro. http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/extra/628655-lions-rampant-the-1974-south-africa-tour-and-that-amazing-punch-up.
- ^ a b Doyle, Paul (6 October 2006). "Small talk: PR Williams". The Guardian Unlimited. http://sport.guardian.co.uk/smalltalk/story/0,,1888496,00.html.
- ^ Staff (24 November 2002). "Sports File: Caught in Time: Lions in South Africa, 1974". The Sunday Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article834762.ece.
- ^ Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth 13 July 1974 Official Website of the British and Irish Lions (retrieved on 22 October 2006 using the Wayback machine)
- ^ Byron, George (14 May 2005). "Recalling those legendary 'Battles of the Boet'". Weekend Post. http://www.weekendpost.co.za/main/2005/05/14/sport/st01_14052005.htm.
- ^ Tom English Rampant Lions - South Africa 1974, cites it is a copy an article in The Sunday Times, 20 May 2001. Accessed 5 January 2008
[edit] External links
- A video of the 99 call in action
- Perry, Alex; (in Stellenbosch) (24 January 2009). "Summer The Power Play - 2008 Summer Journey". TIME Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1815747_1815707_1815697,00.html.. Background piece on the importance of rugby to Afrikaans speaking South Africans.
