WHO IS BRUCE FRANCIS?
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Bruce Francis is a former @CricketAus test opener who was a member of the 1972 Ashes touring squad. He was a close friend of the late Tony Greig and he was one of the chief organisers of the Australian Rebel Tours to South Africa in 1985-86 and 1986-87!!
If @AFL_House CEO Gillon McLachlan wants to know more about Bruce Francis’s career achievements, I suggest he reads Bruce’s book Guilty: Bob Hawke or Kim Hughes?
In 1984 Bruce took on the Hawke Government,@CAComms @CricketAus, @MalcolmFraser12 and Kerry Packer, and smashed them. He won the multi-million dollar court case and took the Australian rebel team to South Africa. Incredibly on the first day of the first test in Perth, where Australia was playing the West Indies, he signed nine of the twelve players to go to South Africa. At the time, Kim Hughes and team manager Bob Merriman had no idea!!
The players were under contract to the Australian Board and to Packer but Bruce Francis outsmarted them all. Amazingly at the time Bruce was coaching James Packer five times a week and Kerry warned Bruce not to touch his players.
Rumour has it Bruce thought Kerry had concussion and asked him how many fingers he was holding up.