George Kruis’ back-heeled conversion for the Barbarians against England brought back memories of an infamous incident involving the mercurial Mark Ring. Second row Kruis was lauded for his cheeky effort which was seen as being very much in the BaaBaas spirit.
The former England and Lions star also had licence to give it a go as it was his final game of rugby before he hangs up his boots. But when Ring tried the same thing some three decades ago he ended up in hot water.
It happened when he was playing in a club match for Cardiff against London Welsh at the Arms Park in December 1989. The ex-Wales centre explained exactly what happened during an interview with the Rugby Journal.
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“I had come back from injury, the two designated kickers weren’t playing, so the ball was thrown to me. I’d missed the first three kicks, and a guy shouted at me ‘You got your slippers on again Ring?’. So I thought ‘I’ll show him’ and back-heeled the thing.
“It was just in the moment. It’s all about the entertaining. It’s all part and parcel of me really, my character. It never even went over, it hit the upright and landed right in front of me.
“Half the crowd laughed, half the crowd didn’t see it. But my mother and father heard the criticism and had to leave the ground and I had to write a letter of apology to London Welsh. I guess I’ve always courted controversy I suppose.”
Kruis actually slotted a hat-trick of conversions during the Barbarians’ 52-21 victory over Eddie Jones’ England at Twickenham, with two regulation efforts either side of his back-heeled special.
