28 June 1997, King's Park, Durban, South Africa
There are days like this ... when many ruby players never have it. Never experience it. It’s special.
Jim and I have been involved in rugby a long time.
I can tell you , these are the things , these are the days that you never believe will come again.
It has.
And I can tell you. I’ve given a lot of things up.
I love my rugby. And I love my family.
And when you come to a day like this, you know why you do it all.
You know why you;ve been involved. It’s been a privilege -- is a privilege. Because we’re something special.
You’ll meet each other in the street in thirty years time, and there’ll just be a look, and you’ll know just how special some days in your life are.
We’ve proved that the lion has claws and has teeth.
We’ve wounded a springbok.
When an animal is wounded it returns in frenzy.
It doesn’t think. It fights for its very existence.
The lion waits, and at the right point, it goes for the jugular.
And the life disappears.
Today, every second of that game -- we’ve talked about what they’re going to do, or everybody else has -- we go for the jugular.
Every tackle, every pass, every kick, is saying, you’re a fucking springbok, you’re dying.
Your hopes of living in this test series -- are going.
And on that field sometimes today, all it will be between you is a look. No words, just a look. That will say everything.
And the biggest thing it will say is, ‘you are special’
You are very, very special.
It has been, and is, a privilege.
Go out, enjoy it, remember how you’ve got here, and why.
And finish it off.
And be special for the rest of your lives.
Good luck, go for it.
McGeechan's forwards coach, Jim Telfer also gave an extrordinary speech on this tour, aslo on Speakola.