The Biggest Sporting Rivalries And Greatest Grudge Match

[tigerfish]

could be anything from the rivalry between the ny yankees and boston red socks or the ashes test series between england and australia. in golfing terms the ryder cup that is contested every two years by the u.s.a. and europe. football wise, it could be any number of of clubs and countries that have had a bitter rivalry that has existed since the sport started. rangers versus celtic, barcelona r.madrid or if your a gooner like me its a n. london thing between arsenal and spurs. there is the fight for dominance within the hemispheres in rugby between old foes like the all blacks and the wallabies. and then there are personal and individual sports and the grudges held by players of two opposing sides that always throw up some great moments like mohammed ali joe frazier, borg Mcenroe, keane viera and lillie botham, to name just a few.

throughout the world of sport over the years there have been so many great clashes between arch rivals that have produced some classic encounters.

so which are your favorite and most memorable moments when it comes to sporting rivalries and grudge matches ?

Edited September 23, 2010 by tigerfish

[tigerfish]

for me the british and irish lions tour of s. africa 1974 has to be up there for a whole host of reasons.

not only was it a classic in terms of a rugbying spectacle, the great players of that era and the games that were played. but it was also remembered for other reasons as well. the sheer brutality in which the whole tour was played, the fact that it was politically famous for the fact that it took part at a time when tensions were high because of the apartheid government in s.africa. and also for the notorious "99" call by the then lions captain willie john mcbride.

[StreetCowboy]

I'm delighted to be the first to post the 1990 Calcutta Cup - though I suppose actually it was the weekend away that made it so memorable;

and similarly the 2006 Calcutta Cup - arguably the most expensive weekend of my life, for reasons that only became apparent many months later.

I watched the England Argentina clog-dancing at the World Cup in Japan, and thought it was one of the most dire games of football I'd seen since I left Scotland, but, playing the foil for a moment, I'm not a big football fan...

SC

[lomatopo]

MLB: Red Sox v. Yankees; 2004 ALCS.

NBA: Celtics v. Lakers; 1969 NBA Finals.

NFL: Redskins v. Cowboys

College Basketball: UNC v. Duke

College Football: Ohio St. v. Michigan

[TheWalkingMan]

1991 World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo

Mike Powell vs Carl Lewis in the Long Jump

Absolutely thrilling contest with Powell winning 8.95m vs 8.91m

4x400m Relay

USA vs GBR

One hot race with GBR literally snatching victory from the USA with a time of 2:57.53 vs 2:57.57 .04 seconds difference. I was so pissed off that I wanted to cry!

TheWalkingMan