June 9 down the years
England tour ends in tatters and controversy
Scrum.com
Phil Blakeway, January 11, 1985
Phil Blakeway was clearly no fan of South African beer © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Phil Blakeway | Don Clarke | Dave Walder

1984
Danie Gerber ran in a hat-trick of tries as South Africa overwhelmed England 35-9 at Ellis Park in the final match of England's short tour. As the squad returned home, the Daily Express said their reputation was "in tatters". On the same day reports emerged in South Africa that the England squad had wrecked their hotel in Port Elizabeth. Manager Derek Morgan meekly said that it was "not possible to screw the lads down to a rigid regime" adding that "we let ourselves down a bit on the flight from PE to Johannesburg but there was no damage". Another newspaper claimed one player had drunk 21 pints the night before a match. "Anyone who can drink 21 pints of South African beer deserves a medal," was the response of Phil Blakeway.

1956
The Springboks opened their tour of New Zealand with a shock 14-10 reverse at Hamilton against Waikato, for whom fullback Don 'The Boot' Clarke kicked eight points. The pre-match parade attracted 20,000 and included marching girls, bands, and people dressed as animals. "If I had been a man from Mars and dropped down into your main street, I would have said without hesitation that it was the dumping ground for the lunatics of the world," said South Africa's coach.

2001
Dave Walder scored 29 points in England's 59-20 victory against Canada in a Test staged in Burnaby while the front-line players were part of the Lions contingent touring Australia. England, led by Kyran Bracken, won the mini-series 2-0.

1979
Canada won the third annual CanAm Test against the US Eagles. Scrum half Preston Wiley landed four penalties for the Maples in a 19-12 win and wing Spence McTavish scored the only try of the match.

1928
A strong Transvaal team beat Maurice Brownlie's All Blacks 6-0 (two tries to nil) in New Zealand's first-ever visit to Ellis Park, Johannesburg.

1962
England's Richard Sharp directed the Lions' tactics with precision to guide the tourists to a satisfying 25-3 win against Boland. The Lions' seven tries included a rare penalty try.

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