IT’S been quite a year for anniversaries, from the start of the Second World War to The Beatles last (recorded) LP. But today is the 30th anniversary of a sporting achievement I suspect few will be aware of, though it’s been described by knowledgeable observers as one of the finest of its kind.

I happen to be a rugby union fan, and had the good fortune to witness England’s World Cup success six years ago in Sydney. The annoying thing is I could also have “been there” for this other English triumph, but missed the chance.

The venue wasn’t Twickenham or any other major sports stadium, but the more modest setting of Cross Green, Otley, West Yorkshire. It was here, on November 17, 1979, that the North of England took on the mighty New Zealand All Blacks.

The previous year the All Blacks had, for the first time, gained a “Grand Slam” by beating Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland during one tour, losing only to Munster, a 12-0 victory which has gone down in Irish rugby legend.

Now they were back, captained again by the formidable Graham Mourie, and their form was ominous. They had thumped a strong Midlands side, whose talented Leicester backs included a promising newcomer called Clive Woodward, and gained a big win over Scotland. The Midlands game had shown these All Blacks at their best, with their speedy back row pinching “turnover” possession from their opponents so their even quicker wingers could counterattack and score.

On the day of the North’s match I was only a relatively few miles away, and knew school contemporaries who were heading for Otley. But I didn’t join them, being a teenager only just becoming interested in the game, and probably expecting another New Zealand win. Oh, for hindsight.

For the North had no intention of playing to the All Black script. Captained by then England skipper Bill Beaumont, and based on a highly successful Lancashire side, it drafted in a few hard-nosed north-eastern forwards and one very important Yorkshireman – fly-half and playmaker Alan Old.

Four former England captains were in the side, and – crucially – three were in the back row; Roger Uttley, Tony Neary and Peter Dixon. Not as quick as their All Black counterparts, their game plan was to turn their opponents’ advantage against them by driving hard, committing their back-row players and preventing them hunting for turnover ball. The pack would push forward and release the Lancastrian backs.

The strategy worked a treat, yielding four tries, and a final score of 21-9 to the North. The 12-point winning margin, which would be 15 points under present scoring rules, was the same as the Munster one, and the Barbarians versus All Blacks match of 1973, regarded by many as the best ever.

The North could actually have won by more and, unlike some previous club or regional wins over big touring sides, Beaumont’s men were up against the All Blacks’ strongest available XV, not the “midweek” side. If Martin Johnson’s 2009 England side get anywhere near that sort of result on Saturday it will be a cause for national celebration; if it had been gained by a Welsh team, we’d never have heard the last of it.

Yet, whether due to typical English false modesty or some other reason, the North’s win is relatively little known and wasn’t even appreciated at the time. Beaumont was told before the game that the England selectors had already picked the national side to play New Zealand a week later.

That could explain the omission of Uttley and Old, and England stumbled to a turgid 10-9 defeat. There was, however, a happy ending of sorts, as later that season eight members of the North side helped England win their first Grand Slam for more than 20 years.

No doubt a few glasses will be raised on today’s anniversary by those who witnessed the triumph. Shame I won’t be one of them.