Hard-man Terry lays down the law to Lions

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

What’s happening here?

It’s Saturday, July 9 1977 at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand and its half-time in the Second Test between New Zealand and the British and Irish Lions. Lions pack leader Terry Cobner is rallying the troops, issuing instructions and demanding even more effort after the break. Listening closely to the flanker are Derek Quinnell, a partially obscured figure who I believe to be scrum-half Brynmor Williams, Gordon Brown (bending over) and Fran Cotton while Bill Beaumont is just coming into the picture.

What’s the story behind the picture?

One of the most underrated Welsh legends trying to salvage a tour that is beginning to go badly wrong.

On paper the 1977 Lions looked formidable. Expectations were high after the successes 1971 and 1974 and they had the makings of possibly their strongest ever pack, but from the start there were worrying signs and developments. Ahead of the tour came the news that Gareth Edwards, JPR , Gerald Davies and Fergus Slattery were all going to sit this one out while a brain hemorrhage to Mervyn Davies the previous season ruled out the obvious tour captain.

Then on arrival they ran into the wettest winter in New Zealand for 100 years. As Peter Wheeler quipped, most weeks it rained twice – once for three days and then again for four. The threat of the Lions backs, already diminished by those absentees, was further reduced by those prevailing conditions and the tour started to become fractious.

It was a very Welsh party – as you would expect because Wales were the dominant British and Irish side of that era – but the old accusation of clannishness began to surface. Just to add in another distraction the tour coach John Dawes – so consummate and diplomatic as a captain in 1971 – seemed ill at ease, argumentative and wary of the media with a so called kissand-tell story about unnamed members of the party in the New Zealand Press fuelling that paranoia. At one stage he became very upset with something which his old colleague Mervwyn Davies wrote as a visiting columnist and there was an embarrassing stand-off.

As the tour tottered on the brink, the Lions retained one trump card, their massively powerful and streetwise pack. There was just a chance they could pull the squad through and make it three series wins on the hoof in the 70s.

They made a depressing start, though, losing the First Test at Wellington 16-12 being outscored three tries to nil despite enjoying the better of things in terms of possession and territory and looked poised to score the winning try when Grant Batty intercepted and sprinted 70 yards upfield to score.

What happened next?

Well in this match at least Cobner’s stern words did the trick and they pulled the game out of the fire to win 13-9 with a try for JJ Williams and three penalties for Phil Bennett. The All Blacks struggled mightily up front with their scrum in particular creaking spectacularly even if the referee didn’t really reward that dominance. The front five of Cotton, Wheeler, Graham Price, Brown and Beaumont –- who had joined the tour as a replacement – were irresistibile.

Alas for the Lions it wasn’t enough. Although the ABs deserved to win the Third Test the Lions forwards were back in beast mode for the final Test where a drawn series was still on offer. Famously at one stage the All Blacks reverted to a hurried three-man scrum –- the minimum required legally at the time – in an effort to disarm the Lions major weapon yet still Benett’s side managed to lose 10-9 thanks to a late try by Gary Knight.

Why is the picture iconic?

This is one of the ultimate, almost generic, rallying the troops pictures. There is only one bloke here doing the talking and those hanging on his every word are no normal journeymen – they are past and future Lions legends such as Quinnell, Brown, Cotton and Beaumont.

But they are putty in Cobner’s hands as the hard man from Blaenavon lays down the law, the index of his right finger jabbing with emphasis, his left fist clenched as if to strike a blow. He’s looking Cotton straight in the eye, he wants even more from the great England prop.

This is Cobner in excelsis. He was born a leader and for ten years ruled the roost at Pontypool, helping to make them a major force in Welsh rugby and laying the foundations for the glory years in the 80s.

Test recognition came rather late and although he was a stand-out member of the 1976 and 1978 Grand Slam teams he was usually surplus to requirements as skipper. Wales might have missed a trick there.

Footnote: Just to complete a miserable tour the Lions, admittedly in de-mob mode, managed to lose to Fiji on the way back home. After helping Wales to the Grand Slam in 1978, Cobner stepped down from Test ruby although he kept going with Pooler for a couple more years before pursuing a career in teaching in England and then finally returning to Wales in 1996 as the first director of rugby for the RFU.