British & Irish Lions legend and World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee Ronnie Dawson has passed away at the age of 92.
Dawson played six Tests as Lions captain, establishing a record which was later equalled by Martin Johnson.
Most notably, Dawson skippered the Lions to their only ever win at the All Blacks’ Eden Park fortress on the infamous 1959 Tour.
Reflecting on his Lions call-up, Dawson said in Behind the Lions: “I got a letter from Mr Bradforth, honorary secretary of the Home Unions Tour Committee and it was just a brief letter
“It started with your surname. ‘Dear Dawson..’ it went on to say, ‘you are invited to join the tour…blah, blah, blah… of Australia, New Zealand and Canada,’ and when I got it I was absolutely delighted and didn’t really finish the letter, I just put it down with a big ‘Yippee!’ The last few words when I went back to look at it again said ‘…and to be its captain’.”
An architect by trade, Dawson won the first of his 27 Ireland caps against Australia in 1958.
He was also a keen Barbarian, donning the famous jersey 22 times and captaining them on several occasions, including their historic win over South Africa in 1961 – the Springboks’ only defeat of that tour.
Dawson remained closely associated with the Lions after his playing days as an assistant manager/coach for the Tour to South Africa in 1968, laying the foundations for the 1971 tourists to claim their one – and so far only – series win in New Zealand.
Following his retirement, Dawson was instrumental in developing coaching of the game in Ireland, becoming the national side’s first coach in 1969, a role which he served for three years.
He then excelled as an administrator, having been elected to the Irish Rugby Football Union Executive Committee in June 1970 and was also President of the IRFU for the 1989–90 season.
He was also an Irish representative on the Five Nations Committee and Committee of Home Unions from 1973 to 1994 and on the International Rugby Board from 1974 to 1994 as well as being a member of the Rugby World Cup Organising Committee in 1987 and the International Rugby Settlement between 1990 and 1994.
His lifetime contribution to the game was recognised by the International Rugby Board firstly in 2004, when he was awarded the Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service and again in 2013, when he was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
The thoughts of everyone at The British & Irish Lions are with Ronnie’s family and friends.
