Former England captain and British & Irish Lions hooker John Pullin has died at the age of 79.
Pullin won 42 England caps between 1966 and 1976, captaining them on 13 occasions and making history by becoming the first European captain to lead his team to wins against all three of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Indeed, Pullin has the rare distinction of beating the All Blacks with three different teams, having also been part of the historic 1971 Lions squad that won 2-1 and the famous Barbarians winners in 1973.
Pullin’s most famous moment came in the 1973 Five Nations when he led England to Dublin to face Ireland during the Troubles, defying expectations.
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Ireland won the match 18-9 and at the post-match dinner, Pullin quipped: “Well, we might not be any good but at least we turned up.”
Pullin was born in Aust, Gloucestershire and worked as a farmer for all of his working life.
He played 298 times for Bristol United – now Bristol Bears – and won seven Lions caps.
Fellow England hooker Bill Treadwell said: “John was part of an outstanding Bristol team who won most of their games and a tremendously strong opponent.
“He was quiet off the pitch but a great motivator who commanded respect on it, which was why he captained England and led the players to southern hemisphere victories. He will be greatly missed by the game.”
