Hello, Rugby 1973

[O'Rothlain]

I have been playing Rugby for roughly ten years now. If we put a time stamp on my introduction and the birth of my obsession with the sport it would be approximately 1998. This firmly places all of my exposure to Rugby well into the modern, professional erra.
Everyone talks about one match in particular: 1973, Barbarians v All Blacks in Wales. I have just managed to get my hands on this game and I expected things to be a bit different, but wow. Rugby, it seems, has come a long way.
First thing I noticed was the All Black Haka. It was no where near the rehearsed precise beast that it is today. It looks as if half of them barely know what they are doing. This was my alert that things might be a bit different. The first scrum really grabbed my attention. No "Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage!" No "Couch, Pause, Engage!" (yes, I've been around long enough for that modification). They just bound on to eachother and slammed together. I've always heard rumours of the old style lineout, but never have seen them. much improved from the mass chaos it seems they used to endure.
The match itself seemed really open. Just flinging the balls out to the wings. We can still learn alot from these amateur fellows. Who had the idea to up the score value of the try? Four Points? I was a bit surprised. I can only imagine some of your grandads view on the modern look of rugby.

 

[Steve-o]

A try also used to be 3 points. The Afrikaners still called a try a 'drie', which means three in English.

I've got some very old rugby documentaries on a few VHS cassettes (the tape was recorded in the early nineties) with footage from a game in the mid 1950's, SA vs Scotland I think. And it was nuts back then lol. The crowd is basically on the pitch, players have wack numbers on their backs like a no. 31 and like you said, very open. Knock ons were common, VERY common.

I personally enjoy watching games from the 1980's. If you can get a Bok vs All Blacks from that era, DO IT! ***anic battles, especially that controversial Bok tour to NZ in the early-mid 1980's (Can't remember the exact year)

After watching all these vids two things stood out for me
1) Rugby has changed alot (did I hear someone say ELV's?)
2) Danie Gerber had some of the best running lines EVER, and was damn quick for a white man, maybe the quickest player in the world in his prime. Eat that melon!

A try also used to be 3 points. The Afrikaners still called a try a 'drie', which means three in English.

I've got some very old rugby documentaries on a few VHS cassettes (the tape was recorded in the early nineties) with footage from a game in the mid 1950's, SA vs Scotland I think. And it was nuts back then lol. The crowd is basically on the pitch, players have wack numbers on their backs like a no. 31 and like you said, very open. Knock ons were common, VERY common.

I personally enjoy watching games from the 1980's. If you can get a Bok vs All Blacks from that era, DO IT! ***anic battles, especially that controversial Bok tour to NZ in the early-mid 1980's (Can't remember the exact year)

After watching all these vids two things stood out for me
1) Rugby has changed alot (did I hear someone say ELV's?)
2) Danie Gerber had some of the best running lines EVER, and was damn quick for a white man, maybe the quickest player in the world in his prime. Eat that melon!

 

[dullonien]

The biggest thing to change rugby, wasn't any rule changes etc. It was when defence became a bigger priority. Looking at games from the seventies, most the tries would just end in touch these days. Players used to just rush up to hit the man with the ball, leaving hugely dog legged defensive lines. It was usually just a matter of quick hands to get it out to the winger, job done.

The drift defence was a huge changing point, it meant, even if you worked an overlap, a drift defence could contain it.

Saying these things, I do think players nowerdays have forgotten (at least they manage to mess it up alot) the first offensive thing any player get's taught, draw the man and pass! Back in the 70's, every player knew how to do this to perfection, and most 2 on 1's or 3 on 2's resulted in tries. Nowerdays, players manage to mess up such simple moves, either by being selfish or giving a poor pass which halts the move altogether.

Things were deffinately alot messier back then, as Steve-o said, knock on's everywhere, the lineouts, scrums and rucks were also quite manic also. Still, some of the most magnificent tries were scored, with Gareth Edwards' try in that Barbarians game, being the best of all time!

 

[danny]

The biggest thing I notice about the players today is the fitness levels and players physiques. Most of the mistakes you see from games in the olden days were through guys being out on their feet. Professionalism has made rugby an almost different game to the one played back then. Props scrummaged, 2nd rows won the ball back in the line out(by fair or unfair means) but did little else. Rule changes , diet, professionalism, improved coaching have all helped to change our great sport and lets not forget that the league system didnt start until 1986 and that made a big impact.

 

[goranski]

the biggest thing that stands out for me is the fact that the modern method of setting rucks and building multiple phases of possession didn't exist in the 70s and 80s...

still love watching the old classic tapes though - things were pretty unpredictable back in the day - plus players got away with alot!

 

[Gay-Guy]

It wasn't just rugby that was chaos....I have seen old footage of Grand Finals in Sydney and they seemed to puch the pass with every movement like it was the last tackle yet in those days they had UNLIMITED tackles!!!! Very weird!

The All Blacks said of South Africa when the Boks were allowed to come back into international contact that they thought the Boks were still in the old style of trying to score in every movement rather than build phases. They said that the Boks would go wide and get isolated too often. This was in the early 90's!!!!!

 

[goranski]

yeah it seems that the simple technique behind setting play up through rucks and multiple phases didn't really surface until the late 90s...if there was a ruck back in the day almost everyone would be thrown in as well to secure the ball - a real mess!

there was alot of desperate spinning of the ball wide - always looking for the overlap that wasn't always on and wingers would just simply run out of room...also the amount of hoofing and kicking the ball out!

 

[blackpudding]

For everyone who has never seen the Rugby from the past, here you will find something from the 5 Nations in 1971. :wacko:
Rugby Union Channel