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1970 - 1971
The year of 1970 saw both Spencer and Duckham again play in all four matches of the Five Nations, but it was a season of unfulfilled promise, despite England having adopted a more professional approach to training and selection. The campaign began promisingly enough with a 9-3 victory over Ireland at Twickenham before England took on Wales at the same ground. England took the game to their opponents in the first half, with Spencer and John Novak helping put Duckham over for another try. Novak then crossed the line himself to make the score 13-3 at half-time and put Wales seemingly out of sight. However, in the second half the men in red seemed to gain new inspiration when Gareth Edwards left the field injured to be replaced by Ray "Chico" Hopkins. Hopkins, who was destined to play only one match for Wales, sent JPR Williams over for a try and then scored one himself to put his side ahead by 14-13. Barry John, who had scored a try before Edwards went off, then delivered the coup de grace with a long range drop goal to seal the game 17-13. After blowing their best chance of beating Wales for years, England then slumped to a 14-5 loss to Scotland, though John did score the try of the season when he received possession in his own half, dummied a pass to his winger and then sped the length of the field to touch down. The campaign ended in ignominious fashion with a 35-13 hammering by France in Paris, the most points England had ever conceded in an international. However, John was able to register his second and last try in addition to a score by Bob Taylor.
The 1971 Five Nations produced modest returns in the form of a 14-14 draw with France and a 9-6 triumph over Ireland, but England played poorly in their Centenary celebrations, losing to both Scotland and a Presidents XV by large margins, the latter proving to be John's last international appearance. However, Lions coach Carwyn James acknowledged Spencer's talent by selecting him for the tour to New Zealand along with Duckham. Unfortunately, John suffered a poor tour largely due to his performance in a game against Counties and Thames Valley in Pukehoe (birthplace of Jonah Lomu). Switched to the wing as an experiment, Spencer missed several try scoring opportunities and only crossed the line once. Despite the fact that it was an unimportant game played in very poor conditions, John was severely mauled by the press which affected his confidence and his subsequent performances. Unlike Duckham, who played in three of the four games against New Zealand and was regarded as one of the successes of the tour, Spencer did not play in the test series and returned home with his reputation diminished.
Gareth Edwards, a man responsible for much of the torment heaped upon England sides in the early 1970s, regarded the two men as friends and was angered by their treatment by the press, writing in his autobiography: "At one stage David Duckham and John Spencer had almost the superstar image, the blond duo. The English press built them up, perhaps because they needed a couple of dashing heroes so badly. In the eventual killing off of Duckham and Spencer the press, who had made them, were unforgivable. Some rugby writers have the dangerous notion that all the true judgement comes from off the field. John Spencer, in particular, was written out of the game." Despite his harsh treatment by the press and premature departure from the international scene, Spencer continued to play the game he loved to the best of his ability for several more years. He went on to captain his spiritual guardians, the Barbarians, on numerous occasions, and one of his best performances came when he scored three tries in their 60-15 triumph over Newport in 1973. (Jon Collins)
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