Rivals took 'cheap shot' at Lions captain and dislocated his shoulder after being disrespected before game

Never has a tackle caused as much controversy as when Brian O’Driscoll had his shoulder dislocated during the British and Irish Lions’ tour of New Zealand in 2005.

The Ireland legend was the victim of a brutal spear tackle just 41 seconds into the opening Test match which sent shockwaves around the rugby world.

Named as the Lions skipper 20 years ago, the now-46-year-old was dumped head first into the turf by Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu in Christchurch.

As O’Driscoll charged into a ruck, his left leg was grabbed by hooker Mealamu, while centre Umaga came in from the right.

Together, they lifted the Leinster icon into the air before tipping him over – leading the two-time Six Nations winner to stretch out his right arm to break his fall.

And while he avoided a broken neck, he suffered a dislocated shoulder, ruling him out for the rest of the tour as he spent five months on the sidelines.

It was a tackle that would eventually lead to World Rugby encouraging referees to hand immediate red cards for similar offences after the New Zealand duo went unpunished.

The Lions went into 2005 Tour having won just one series in New Zealand from their ten previous attempts – with their last, and only, success coming in 1971.

At the time, the All Blacks had been defeated on home soil to the four home nations on just two occasions in 100 years.

For head coach Clive Woodward, who had guided England to World Cup glory two years earlier, he was keen on how his side should handle the infamous haka.

Having sought advice from a Maori elder, the Lions thought they were showing respect towards their opponents, but their actions instead put targets on the backs of O’Driscoll and his teammates.

O’Driscoll recalled: “We spread out in a half-moon shape, with me out front as the leader and the youngest member, Dwayne Peel, standing behind me.

“When the haka ends, I pull up some grass and throw it at them, as if pulling the ground from underneath their feet.”

Matt Dawson, part of England’s historic World Cup triumph, was a substitute in the opening Test match, and he revealed how the Lions’ actions angered the hosts.

He remarked: “The All Blacks look at us with an expression that does not suggest gratitude at the respect we believe we have just paid to their heritage.”

Along with O’Driscoll’s actions during the haka, he had also sent a warning to Umaga with a stern message which didn’t help his cause.

O’Driscoll said: “I know one thing, Tana Umaga is not going to have the upper hand on me.”

After being sent crashing to the floor by Umaga and Mealamu, O’Driscoll was then quick to express his anger that the former decided against checking on his wellbeing.

In a heated press conference the following morning, he remarked: "My real disappointment was that he (Umaga) didn't come up as I was being stretchered off which I thought would just be a common courtesy between captains, whether he had been involved or not.

"I don't know whether that shows any element of guilt or not. At the time and post-match when I thought about it, that certainly disappointed me."

While he also failed to contain his anger over the shocking tackle, that he feared could have ended his life.

He raged: “I am in no doubt whatever that it was deliberate foul play, a double spearing. It was a cheap shot which has put me out of the tour.

“But the truth is it could have been an awful lot worse because they could have quite easily broken my neck. I was turned upside down, in the air and speared into the ground.

“I tackled one of their players and then a ruck formed. I was pushing against Jerry Collins and two guys came in, they had a leg each, I got turned around in the air and speared into the ground. I knew straight away that it was serious.

“I had this searing pain that just wouldn’t go away, I have never had a dislocated shoulder before so I did not know that is what it was, but I knew instantly that I was out of the game.

“I can hardly believe that I put so much into this and just got over a minute of play in a Test match.

“I have worked so hard for so long to get to this and to have it taken away by such a cheap shot leaves a really nasty feeling. I am really shocked that Umaga did that.”

Before adding: “It is very hard to describe any emotion at the moment. I just cannot put it into words.

“I am angry because it was such a cheap shot. It was one of the most dangerous things that you can do in our game. It is why spear tackling is banned.”

For Umaga, he felt as if he was the victim after being vilified by the media and Lions fans.

He wrote in his autobiography: “The sustained personal attack they launched against me was hard to believe and even harder to stomach.

“You don't want to take it personally but it's almost impossible not to when another player, a guy you had some respect for, attacks your character in the most direct and damning terms.”

In O’Driscoll’s absence, the Lions would lose 21-3 to New Zealand in the opening test.

The Lions eventually suffered a 3-0 whitewash, their worst series performance since the 4-0 defeat to New Zealand in 1983.

And while fans may wish to forget the drab displays, the ‘Speargate Scandal’ will long live in the memory of supporters.