British Lions 1974 infamous '99 Call

The 1974 test series between the Springboks and the British Lions was beset by violence. The management of the Lions concluded that the Springboks dominated their opponents with physical aggression.

At that time, in test matches the referee was from the home nation. There were no video cameras and sideline officials to keep things such as punching, kicking, and head-butting to a minimum.

The Lions decided

‘to get their retaliation in first

‘ with the infamous ’99 call’ (99 is a shortening of 999 which in Britain and Ireland is the phone number for the emergency services such as the police, ambulance or fire brigade).

The idea was that a South African referee would be unlikely to send off all of the Lions if they all retaliated against ‘

blatant thuggery

‘.

In the final incident, thats Klippie Kritzinger knocking out the late Gordon Brown.