History of the British & Irish Lions - Recent Tours - 1971 to 2005
New Zealand 2005
Captain - Brian O'Driscoll
Coach - Sir Clive Woodward
Played - 11
Won - 7
Lost - 4
Test Matches - Played 3 - Won 0 - Lost 3 - For 40 - Against 107.
The Lions suffered their first whitewash for 22 years as New Zealand completed a 3-0 series win. Let's face it, from a playing perspective this was a shambles showing a totally incompetent display of management techniques, poor form by key players and resulting in injuries that could finish careers. However, there was a positive. The British & Irish Lions Supporters proved the biggest and the best touring supporters of any tour in any sport anywhere in the world!! Long may it continue!! And lets do it without the so called 'Barmy Army' - these guys should stick to cricket and leave rugby tours to the real rugby fans.
Australia 2001
Captain - Martin Johnson
Coach - Graham Henry
Played - 10
Won - 7
Lost - 3
Test Matches - Played 3 - Won 1 - Lost 2 - For 66 - Against 77.
With 2001 came the somewhat controversial choice of coach in the shape of Wales' Kiwi import Graham Henry. The Lions committee once again turned to the experienced hands of 1997 skipper Martin Johnson to lead the initial tour party of 37 players on their 10-match tour and in doing so the England and Leicester stalwart became the first player ever to lead two Lions tours. The Lions went down 2-1 in what was a titanic Test series, one that definitively marked Australia as the finest side in world rugby but arguably threw up more questions than answers for the Lions in the professional era.
South Africa 1997
Captain - Martin Johnson
Coach - Ian McGeechan
Played - 13
Won - 11
Lost - 2
Test Matches - Played 3 - Won 2 - Lost 1 - For 59 - Against 66.
1997 saw the first professional Lions. The 2-1 series win will go down as one of the greatest tactical victories of all time. Planned to the minutest detail like a military campaign, coach Ian McGeechan was without question the most important man on this tour and with expert specialist help from the likes of forwards coach Jim Telfer, kicking guru Dave Alred and technical analyst Andy Keast, plotted the downfall of the Springboks.
New Zealand 1993
Captain - Gavin Hastings
Coach - Ian McGeechan
Played - 13
Won - 7
Lost - 6
Test Matches - Played 3 - Won 1 - Lost 2 - For 51 - Against 57.
1993 saw the first Lions tour of New Zealand in ten years. There were high hopes that Gavin Hastings' team would have the necessary personnel and tactics to record a series win over the mighty All Blacks. With Ian McGeechan coaching the Lions an unprecedented second time and a well-balanced squad making the journey, the Lions looked - on paper - an even match for New Zealand. However, it was not to be and the Lions lost the series 2-1.
Australia 1989
Captain - Finlay Calder
Coach - Ian McGeechan
Played - 12
Won - 11
Lost - 1
Test Matches - Played 3 - Won 2 - Lost 1 - For 50 - Against 60.
The 1989 Lions became the first team to visit Australia on a full-blown tour since Rev Mullineux's side in 1899. A new-style Lions tour meant the schedule was reduced to just 12 games and after losing the opening Test in Sydney, the team became the first Lions side to ever bounce back from a first Test defeat to claim the series.
New Zealand 1983
Captain - Ciaran Fitzgerald
Coach - Jim Telfer
Played - 18
Won - 12
Lost - 6
Test Matches - Played 4 - Won 0 - Lost 4 - For 26 - Against 78.
1983 saw hero Willie John McBride return to the Lions as manager on the tour to New Zealand. However, the results of the tour mirrored the decline of northern hemisphere rugby in the early 1980s and the Lions were subsequently beaten in all four Tests.
South Africa 1980
Captain - Bill Beaumont
Coach - Noel Murphy
Played - 18
Won - 15
Lost - 3
Test Matches - Played 4 - Won 1 - Lost 3 - For 68 - Against 77.
In 1980 Bill Beaumont led his side on a controversial tour to South Africa. The Lions were stricken by a series of injuries early on and never really recovered, and were defeated 3-1 in the series.
New Zealand 1977
Captain - Phil Bennett
Coach - John Dawes
Played - 26
Won - 21
Lost - 5
Test Matches - Played 4 - Won 1 - Lost 3 - For 41 - Against 54.
1977 was known as the 'Bad News Tour', the Lions lost only five of the 26 games of the tour, but Phil Bennett's team were beaten 3-1 in the Test series by the All Blacks.
South Africa 1974
Captain - Willie John McBride
Coach - Syd Millar
Played - 22
Won - 21
Lost - 0
Drew - 1
Test Matches - Played 4 - Won 3 - Lost 0 - Drew 1 - For 79 - Against 34.
In 1974 it was Willie John McBride's turn to lead his Lions on an unbeaten tour of South Africa. It became the most successful Lions tour of all time and would cement the side forever in rugby folklore.
Australia & New Zealand 1971
Captain - John Dawes
Coach - Carwyn James
Played - 26
Won - 23
Lost - 2
Drew - 1
Test Matches - Played 4 - Won 2 - Lost 1 - Drew 0 - For 48 - Against 42.
Led by Wales' John Dawes the 1971 touring side beat the All Blacks in an exciting Test series and were famed for their fabulous back division.
History of the British Lions - Yesteryear 1888 - 1968
The first trailblazer of overseas touring for a UK side was a British team, led by Bob Seddon, to Australia and New Zealand in 1888. Although he was to tragically die in a rowing accident whilst on tour, the team managed to play 35 games against varying provincial and club sides over a period of around six months.
The next tour, to South Africa in 1891, was the first tour to have a schedule that most closely resembles the modern age, establishing the principles of actually playing Test matches. A British side toured to South Africa again in 1896 (when it lost its first Test to a colonial side, 0-5 in Cape Town) and 1903, Australia in 1899 and Australia and New Zealand in 1904. An Anglo-Welsh side toured New Zealand and Australia in 1908 and two years later the last pre-World War One British team traveled to South Africa.
The outbreak of war in 1914 halted any further overseas tour by a British side for a decade and when they resumed, in 1924, it was the first time that the side received its now famous nickname, the 'Lions'. Although it was still officially called the British Isles Rugby Union Team well in to the 1950's.
A tour to New Zealand and Australia followed in 1930 captained by Leicester's Doug Prentice, and was notable for the Lions beating New Zealand in the 1st Test in Christchurch as well as the fact that New Zealand played in all-white during that game. That was because the Lions wore blue at that stage and there was not enough distinction between the two sides - it was this incident that influenced the change to the current red strip we see today.
In 1938 the third and final inter-war Lions tour took place to South Africa under the captaincy of Irish prop Sammy Walker. The Lions came up against the talented Springbok side and although they lost the first two Tests, they bounced back and won the third in Cape Town against the odds.
After the Second World War, and a break of 12 years, the 1950s was the decade that would re-ignite the popularity of Lions tours, if not re-ignite Home Union success.
The lean years for the Home Unions continued with the Lions failing to win any of their three Test series during the decade. The 1955 team did come close to beating a 65 year Springboks stranglehold on British Isles touring teams, but eventual went down 3-1 in a close run series.
If the 1950s proved to be a false dawn then the 1960s was a downright disaster. In fact the Lions did not win a Test match against New Zealand or South Africa in the 12 matches played against them throughout the decade.
The 1966 tourists ended with the unenviable record of having the worst results ever recorded by a British Isles touring team in New Zealand. Those Lions lost four Test matches in a series for the first time, three of them by sizeable margins.
However, the early 1970s were to prove a welcome respite to the beleaguered Lions and their success bred the tremendous tradition of Lions rugby that exists to this day.
