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Travel Diary
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Some Lions History
Tuesday 29 July 2008
With plans being finalised for what promises to be an epic British Lions Tour to South Africa next year I thought I'd do some research into the history of the tours. The overall score between the Lions and the Springboks is as follows:12 Tours played, Lions 5 wins, Draws 1 and Springboks 6 wins.
Details are below:
| Year | Captain | Head Coach | Matches | Won | Lost | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891 |  Bill MacLagen |  Edwin Ash | 20 | 20 | 0 | Won | 3 - 0 |
| 1896 | Johnny Hammond | R. Walker | 21 | 19 | 1 | Won | 3 - 1 |
| 1903 | Mark Morrison | Johnny Hammond | 22 | 11 | 8 | Won | 0 - 1 (2 Draws) |
| 1910 |  Dr Tom Smythe | W. Cail & Walter E. Rees | 24 | 13 | 8 | Lost | 1 - 2 |
| 1924 | Ronald Cove-Smith | Harry Packer | 21 | 9 | 9 | Lost | 0 - 3 (1 Draw) |
| 1938 | Sam Walker | Col. B.C. Hartley | 24 | 17 | 7 | Lost | 1 - 2 |
| 1955 | Robin Thompson | 25 | 19 | 5 | Drew | 2 - 2 | |
| 1962 | Arthur Smith | 25 | 16 | 5 | Lost | 0 - 3 (1 Draw) | |
| 1968 | Tom Kiernan | Ronnie Dawson | 20 | 15 | 4 | Lost | 0 - 3 (1 Draw) |
| 1974 | Willie John McBride | Syd Millar | 22 | 21 | 0 | Won | 3 - 0 (1 Draw) |
| 1980 | Bill Beaumont | Noel Murphy | 18 | 15 | 3 | Lost | 1 - 3 |
| 1997 | Martin Johnson | Ian McGeechan | 11 | 9 | 2 | Won | 2 - 1 |
Here's hoping for another South African victory, I personally can't wait!
Cheers....
Vince
Croatia is a must!
Friday 11 July 2008
I have heard a great deal about Croatia from the last few years and I was lucky enough to spend last week sailing a fifty-two foot yacht around its southern islands. For those of you that have been to Croatia, you will know how magical this country really is. It has recently recovered from a decade of authoritarian nationalism and bitter war but now proudly celebrates its beauty to those travelling there. It boasts a bizarre mix of stunning Roman architecture, friendly and warm people with a great sense of humour and stunning coastlines and scenery. It is similar to how I would imagine Greece to have been thirty years ago - beautiful and unspoilt.
We spent some evenings anchored in secluded bays enjoying fresh fish and a few cocktails as the sun went down. Others were spent sampling the local nightlife at various fishing towns. For anyone looking to travel to Croatia in the near future, I’d highly recommend the Island of Hvar. The main bay is lined with vibrant bars and restaurants with a backdrop of rugged hills. We headed straight for the well known nightspot, Carpe Diem, a cocktail bar on the edge of the harbour front looking across the bay. I think this could be a future Pepper destination!
I am definitely going to be joining our next group in Cape Town on our RYA yachting course after that experience! One of our last group in January, Marisa, had a serious passion for yachting and left us in South Africa for the Caribbean where she joined a crew for four months…..I now fully understand!
It was quite a shock to the system landing in fifteen degree hail at Gatwick on Sunday……since then it hasn’t really stopped and unfortunately nor have the smug emails from Vince, out in Cape Town now. As I sit here in the UK Pepper office listening to the fifth day in a row of rain……how much I love England!
Anyway it’s been another hectic week with the finalising of our groups for the Lion’s tour of South Africa next June. I am seriously excited already and slowly beginning to irritate Vince with my enthusiastic predictions of the certain South African defeat!!!!
Cheers for now,
Johnny
Winter in Cape Town
Friday 11 July 2008
My most humble apologies for the lack of blog updates in a ridiculously long time. Its been frantic here at Pepper, with bookings coming in for both our January 2009 and September 2008 experiences. Our plans for the British Lions Tour next year are coming along nicely and we've got an amazing group geared up and ready to go out there and witness South Africa crush the hopes and dreams of British rugby!Along with that we are preparing for our annual Cornwall trip and both Johnny and myself have been out of the country. Johnny is freshly back from a sailing trip around Croatia which by all accounts was absolutely amazing, while I have been in wintery Cape Town. Cape Town in winter is a very different place to itself in summer. Summertime here is one of the most amazing experiences in the world, with great weather, packed beaches and a buzzing nightlife. Winter is raining and stormy and amazing in a different way, with stormy seas and a much more low profile nightlife centered around chilled beers and fireplaces. Its great to be home for a bit and every time I come back here I appreciate more and more what an amazing city it is and how lucky I am to call it home.....
Vince