Being a Lion
Andy Irvine made his international debut against the mighty All Blacks in December 1972, while playing for the Heriot’s Rugby Club.
He had two great seasons with Scotland and was consequently picked for the British & Irish Lions for their tour to South Africa in 1974. Irvine played well on tour and was selected for the test team for the test in Port Elizabeth. He didn’t play at full back, but was instead selected on the right wing. A certain JPR Williams kept him out of the team. He performed well and kept his place for the final test at Ellispark and even scored a great try in that match. He finished the tour on top of the points scorers list with 156.
Irvine was equally sublime in New Zealand in 1977. He equaled Malcolm Thomas’s record from 1959 for most points by a Lion in a single game by scoring 25 against Hanan Shield Districts. He also scored a great try in the process. After that feat, he scored five tries against King Country-Wanganui, which is still a record for a Lions full back.
He was a late replacement on the 1980 tour of South Africa after he didn’t make the initial squad because of injury. He ended up playing in the last test at Loftus Versfeld.
His Legacy
Andy Irvine was a star player for Scotland throughout his illustrious career. He played his last test for Scotland against Australia in Sydney in 1982. At that stage he was the world record holder for most test points, 301.
After his retirement he dabbled in coaching and in 2005 he was appointed Scottish Rugby Union president. He was also named British & Irish Lions team manager for the 2013 tour of Australia.
Andy Irvine was a prolific goal kicker, but will mostly be remembered as one of the greatest counter attacking full backs ever.
