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Rugby's Ninety-Nine Call - British Lions vs. South Africa, 1974

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W

Webster

Snork Master & Humor-Meister
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Per the Tropes...
Rugby, most of the time, is a matter of Non-Lethal Warfare, especially in internationals. It helps that most of the time the principal teams in the world's rugby élite are from old allies, or from nations who have not been to war with each other for centuries (cf France and England). However, there is an exception.

The British Lions' 1974 tour of South Africa became effectively the third Boer War, played out on the rugby fields. The animosity between the two teams reached a peak where Lions captain Willie John McBride, fed up with the over-robust play of the Springboks, devised the Ninety-Nine Call. This meant "forget the game. Run at the nearest South African player, and punch him." The reasoning for this was that if all thirty players started a fistfight at once, the referee would not know whom to send off and would lose control of the game for just long enough for the Lions to make a point about dirty play by the Boers. The Battle of Ellis Park has gone down in rugby history.
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Crystal

Crystal

Formerly Apollo
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GW Elder
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I do like Rugby! England aren't exactly the powerhouse they think they are, but never have been, but still fun to watch!

The 99...yeah...not exactly the crowning glory of English rugby, lol
 
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