The greatest try ever scored
"The greatest try ever scored" - sometimes called "That try" - was a try that was scored by the Barbarians in a match against the New Zealand All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park in January 1973. Unlike in other sports where there is usually great debate over the greatest plays of all time, in rugby union there is general consensus that this is the best of all time within the sport.[1][2]
The game (between the Barbarians and the New Zealand All Blacks) is one I will never forget and those of us who played in it will never be allowed to forget. It is a match that will live with me forever. People tend only to remember the first four minutes of the game because of the try, but what they forgot is the great deal of good rugby played afterwards, much of which came from the All Blacks. After the success of the 1971 Lions tour, which captured the imagination of the whole country, it was an opportunity to bring a lot of that side together again.
The move starts with a deep kick from the New Zealand winger. The ball dropped towards Phil Bennett near to his goal line. Bennett sidestepped and evaded three tackles, in turn passing the ball to JPR Williams. It next passed through four pairs of hands (Pullin, Dawes, David and Quinnell) before Edwards, slipping between two teammates and seemingly intercepting the last pass, finished with a diving try in the left-hand corner.
The commentary itself is sometimes described as the greatest ever, although it very nearly didn't happen because until just 2 hours before the match Bill McLaren was due to commentate; but he was recovering from 'flu so Cliff Morgan was called in at the last minute.[3] Morgan commentated the try as follows:
| “ | Kirkpatrick to Williams. This is great stuff. Phil Bennett covering. Chased by Alistair Scown. Brilliant! Oh, that's brilliant! John Williams, Bryan Williams. Pullin. John Dawes, great dummy. To David, Tom David, the half-way line! Brilliant by Quinnell! This is Gareth Edwards! A dramatic start! What a score! Oh, that fellow Edwards! | ” |
A moment later, at the restart, he added,
| “ | If the greatest writer of the written word would have written that story, no one would have believed it. That really was something. | ” |
The Barbarians won the game 23-11.[4]
In a UK poll conducted by Channel 4 in 2002, British rugby supporters voted Edwards's historic try for the Barbarians #20 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.[5] The 40th anniversary of the try sparked renewed interest.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ "The greatest try ever scored?". Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ↑ "Barbarians v New Zealand '73 - the greatest try of them all". Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ↑ "Barbarians v New Zealand: the greatest commentary that never was". Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ↑ "International Matches". Barbarianfc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ↑ "100 Greatest Sporting Moments - Results". Channel 4. 2002. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ↑ "Cliff Morgan salutes 'greatest try' when Gareth Edwards scored for Barbarians against All Blacks in 1973". Retrieved 27 January 2013.