The 1997 Lions will go down in history as one of the most committed bunch to wear the famous red jersey and is it any surprise when they had Jim Telfer revving them up with inspirational oratories before they went into battle?
There are numerous standout moments from the famous Living with the Lions documentary about the 1997 tour of South Africa that is rightly held up as one of the best sporting documentaries around and, in a welcome development for rugby fans, has been repeated on Sky’s coverage of the current tour in recent weeks.
The footage of the games itself still makes for compelling viewing, there is humour to be found in the player-cams or when player fines were handed out on the tour court and there was a hint of sadness about the unfortunate manner in which some of the playing group were told that their tour was over due to injury and had to deal with such devastating disappointment with a camera in their face.
There were also plenty of moments when the hair would stand up on the back of your neck and the majority of those were provided by Jim Telfer, Ian McGeehan’s trusty aide on the 1997 and 2009 Lions Tours, whose primary responsibility was as forwards coach, and seemingly, ensuring that the players at his disposal were under no illusions as to the size of the task at hand.
Telfer made a number of brilliant speeches that were captured on camera during that tour – a brilliant one about honest rugby players and the rest also comes to mind – but one that sticks out is his message to the forwards starting the first test.
‘This is your f**ing Everest boys’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc3S6iGmUjI
As intimidating a character as Telfer often came across on character, you could see how nervous he was about even making the speech as he can be seen reciting it to himself before delivering it to Martin Johnson and company and practise obviously made perfect because he didn’t put a word out of place.
Al Pacino’s rousing ‘inches’ speech in Any Given Sunday is often referenced by athletes in various sports – especially in the GAA interestingly enough – as a very useful motivational tool but in terms of real speeches, it’s hard to think of many that would start a fire in the belly as effectively as Telfer’s team-talk back in 1997.
And all credit to him, he didn’t mind taking the p*ss out of himself in a humorous recreation of the speech before this tour when he tried to convince Lions fans that their greatest challenge was convincing their better halves to allow them to make the long trek Down Under.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2pqtaIVBH0
16 years on, it still brings a shiver to the spine and the current crop of Lions could do worse than give it another viewing ahead of the second test in Melbourne on Saturday.
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