Willie John McBride

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Lore & Background

McBride was born in Moneyglass near Toomebridge, County Antrim, one of four boys; one died at a young age in a drowning accident. Owing to his father's death when he was four years old, he spent most of his spare time helping out on his family farm. Because of his commitments on the farm, he did not start playing rugby until he was 17. He was educated at Ballymena Academy and played for the school's First XV and the Ulster Schools' team. After he left he joined Ballymena and was playing for the first team within a year. McBride was primarily into athletics at school, winning the Ulster School pole-vault championship in 1956 and 1957. He attributed the strength gained on the farm for never having to come off injured in a playing career that covered four decades, even playing 20 minutes with a broken leg at one stage.

In Their Own Story

The cold wind howled across Lansdowne Road, carrying the scent of rain and cut grass. It was late afternoon, winter light fading fast over Dublin. McBride stood at the twenty-two meter line, the oval ball balanced on his boot tee. The crowd hushed, a collective breath held tight in their throats. He looked up, scanning the defensive wall across the pitch, calculating the angle through the wind. With a smooth, practiced swing of his leg, he struck the leather sphere. It soared high and true, slicing between the uprights to seal another chapter in Irish history.

Reader's Guide

McBride is opposed to the use of a 23-man bench, 'absolute nonsense' he considers unfair and increasing the risk of injury. In 1962 McBride was selected to play for Ireland. His first Test on 10 February 1962 was against England at Twickenham. Later that year he was selected to tour South Africa with the British and Irish Lions. McBride continued to play for Ireland throughout the 1960s and played for Ireland when they first defeated South Africa (the Springboks) in 1965, and when Ireland defeated Australia in Sydney — the first time a Home Nations team had defeated a major southern hemisphere team in their own country. He was again selected for the Lions in 1966, this time touring New Zealand and Australia. He toured South Africa with the Lions again in 1968. He was selected to play for the Lions in their 1971 tour of New Zealand. McBride was made pack leader and helped the Lions to a Test series win over New Zealand; their first and last series win over New Zealand. He received an MBE in 1971 for services to rugby football. McBride's leadership qualities led to his appointment as captain of the British and Irish Lions in their 1974 tour to South Africa. The Test series was won 3–0, with one match drawn; the first Lions series ever won in South Africa. It was one of the most controversial and physical Test match series ever played. The management of the Lions concluded that the Springboks dominated their opponents with physical aggression and so they decided to match fire with fire. Willie John McBride 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. At that time there were only substitutions if a doctor agreed that a player was physically unable to continue and there were no video cameras and sideline officials to keep the punching, kicking and head butting to a minimum. If the South Africans were to resort to foul play then the Lions decided 'to get their retaliation in first.' The signal for this was to call '99' (a shortened version of the emergency number in Ireland and in the United Kingdom: 999). This was a signal for the Lions to clobber their nearest rival players. In 1975 as his international career was ending he played his last game for Ireland at Lansdowne Road. The game was against France, and near the end of the match he scored his first

Did You Know?

• McBride played as a lock, not a fly-half.
• He never came off injured in a playing career covering four decades, even playing 20 minutes with a broken leg.
• He instigated the 'one in, all in' policy and the '99' call during the 1974 Lions tour to South Africa.
• He scored his first test try in his last game for Ireland against France at Lansdowne Road in 1975.