Willie John McBride
| Born | William James McBride 6 June 1940 Moneyglass, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 110 kg (17 st 5 lb; 243 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
William James McBride, better known as Willie John McBride (born 6 June 1940), is a former rugby union footballer from Northern Ireland who played as a lock for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. He made 63 appearances for Ireland, including eleven as captain, and toured with the Lions five times; a record that earned him 17 Lions Test caps and 71 appearances in the red jersey. He also captained one of the most successful Lions sides, which returned undefeated from South Africa in 1974. McBride, inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2009, is regarded as one of the most influential figures ever to play the game.
McBride is opposed to the use of a 23-man bench, "absolute nonsense" he considers unfair and increasing the risk of injury.