99 Call

In rugby union, the "99" call was a policy of simultaneous retaliation by the Lions during their 1974 tour to South Africa. The tour was marred by on-pitch violence, which the match officials did little to control and the relative absence of cameras compared to the modern game made citing and punishment after the fact unlikely.

Lions' captain Willie John McBride therefore instigated a policy of "one in, all in" - that is, when one Lion retaliated, all other Lions were expected to join in the melee or hit the nearest Springbok. By doing so, the referee would be unable to identify any single instigator and so would be left with the choice of sending off all or none of the team. In this respect, the "99" call was extremely successful, as no Lions player was sent off during the tour.

At the battle of Boet Erasmus Stadium, one of the most violent matches in rugby history, there is famous video footage of J.P.R. Williams running over half of the pitch and launching himself at Moaner van Heerden after such a call, something that Williams says he is not proud of.

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