Lions

British and Irish Lions rugby has a long rich rugby history and with each upcoming tour the excitement begins to build with a reverence for the past and hope for what the future will bring.

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British and Irish Lions Tour History
British and Irish Lions Squad
British and Irish Lions Results and Fixtures
Brtish and Irish Lions Feature Archive

British and Irish Lions Tour History

The idea of a combined British and Irish rugby team touring the southern hemisphere dates back to 1888 with a makeshift team of top players from Britain and Ireland pulled together to represent the isles.  The first tour was a commercial venture put together by entrepreneurs Alfred Shaw and Arthur Shrewsbury and traveled to Australia and New Zealand.  The pair knew the potential reward as they put together successful cricket tours of the southern hemisphere and thought the idea would work for rugby just as well.

The first tour consisted of a 35 match schedule and consisted of both union contest and Australian or Victorian Rules matches.  There were no test matches but played provincial, city and academic sides and when the tour was completed the visitors had won 27 of the matches.

When the Western Province union in South Africa invited the British side for a second tour in 1891, the game’s governors had accepted the idea of the southern hemisphere tour and the team traveled as a Rugby Football Union side. The 22-player roster was first called an English Rugby Football Team but with the inclusion of on Scottish player, team captain Bull MacLagen, the name was changed to be called a British Isles team.

The game of rugby was not as developed in South Africa as in England and the tourists won all 20 matches on the rugby tour with home teams only putting up 1 point in the process.  Before returning to England, the British Isles team presented a silver trophy, the Currie Cup, to Griqualand West as the province that performed the best on the tour.  The Currie Cup has since developed into the top domestic prize in South African rugby.

In 1896 the British Isles team returned to South Africa and for the first time the squad included Irish rugby players.  Ireland was the top team at the time in the Home Nations.  The team once again dominated the action losing only their last match on the tour.

Australia was the tour destination in 1899 and for the first time in the history of the tour there were representatives from all four Home Nations.  The team, however, lacked cohesion early in the series with only three games together as a unit and lost their opening match to Australia 13-3 and then dropping a match a week later to Queensland Reds 11-3.  They did right the ship and went on to win fourteen of the next 15 rugby matches.

South African rugby had made huge strides since the first tour in 1891 and the payoff came with the 1903 tour.  The British Isles rugby tour team only won half of the 22 match schedule.  The era of solid South African rugby had begun!

The 1904 British Isles tour team played tests in both Australia and New Zealand, starting a 75 year tradition, but as was the case in South Africa a year earlier found that the competition was much better than on previous tours.  The traveling team was still selected by invitation only so as in did not have a full compliment of the Home Nations top talent.

The tour team had no difficultly running through their Australia schedule undefeated but upon arrival in New Zealand were defeated by the hosts in their second test match.  The tour concluded with a 0-0 draw to a combination team from Taranaki, Ranganui and Manawatu and a loss to Auckland.  The experience gave the tourists a new respect for New Zealand rugby.

The 1908 rugby tour was an eye opener for the visitors.  After the impressive showing four years earlier by the Kiwi rugby sides, the tour shifted the majority of the games to New Zealand for the 1908 tour.  The British Isles rugby team  won 9 of their 17 matches in New Zealand, including two one sided losses and a draw to New Zealand in test matches, and followed that up with wins in 6 of the 9 matches in Australia.

The 1910 tour of South Africa marked the official start of the British and Irish era when the team was selected by a committee from the four Home Nations.  The team held their own against non-test opponents pulling out victories in half the matches winning only one out of 3 against South Africa.

For the first time, the British Isles sent a second southern hemisphere tour to Argentina.  The team was called the ‘Combined British’ team by the hosts and featured the first test match for the Pumas. 

After a fourteen year break due to World War I, the British Isles Rugby Union team returned to South Africa in 1924.  It was on this tour that the team was given the nickname the Lions from the lion logo on the official team tie.

The heraldic beast was the only fearsome aspect of the Lions team as they turned in the worst performance in tour history.  The Lions won 9, lost 9 and tied three on the tour which included an 8 game losing skid.  The team did fight through adversity as they were forced to regularly juggle the lineup, playing backs as forwards and vice versa, due to tour long injury problems. 

In 1927, the British and Irish Lions made their second tour of Argentina.  The Lions were invited by the River Plate Union who worked to bankroll the tour with donations and fundraisers.  The tour was great for the development of the game in Argentina but hardly served to test the Lions team who cruised through matches undefeated outscoring their opponents 295 to 9.

The British and Irish Lions returned to New Zealand for the first time in 22 years in 1930 and found the All Blacks using the same tactics by utilizing a 2-3-2 scrum formation and a ‘rover’ and the results were also the same.  The tourists won 15 of the 21provincial matches in New Zealand but posted a losing record, 1 win and three losses, in the test matches.

In the Australian leg of the tour, the British and Irish Lions won 5 of seven matches but one of the losses was a 6-5 test loss to Australia.

Argentine hosted a third British and Irish Lions rugby tour in 1936 but it would be the last time the team traveled to the South American nation.  The Lions bettered their 1927 performance going undefeated and outscoring their opponents 399-12.

With war in Europe looming, the British and Irish Lions headed to South Africa in 1938 to play a Springboks side many considered the best in the world.  The Lions won 17 of the 23 matches but could only muster 1 win in three test matches against the South Africa Springboks.

In the first match, the Springboks played what South Africa manager Danie Craven said was the rugby side’s best match ever.  The second Test match became known as the ‘Tropical Test.’  The game was played in 96 degree heat and the Lions ultimately wilted after taking an early lead.  In the final match, the Lions were down 13-3 at halftime but stormed back to win 21-16.

The British and Irish Lions southern hemisphere tours resumed after World War II in 1950 and the Lions had a new look.  The team adopted a solid red jersey to avoid any conflicts between the traditional navy British and Irish Lions rugby jersey and the black New Zealand rugby jersey.

In addition to the new rugby jerseys, the Lions brought some exciting back play but still had troubles in the test matches with the Kiwi hosts.  The British and Irish Lions played the New Zealand All Blacks to a 9-9 draw in the opening test match but lost the remaining three matches.

In Australia they had more luck winning the two test matches including a 5 try gallop in the opening 24-3 win against the Australia Wallabies followed up with a 19-6 win.

Cliff Morgan set the tone for the 1955 South Africa tour when he launched into song for the crowds that met the team at the Johannesburg airport.  The showing on the field was as exciting with the British and Irish Lions bringing an all out attack philosophy and when the tourist left they had their best results in South Africa since 1896.

In four matches, the tourist scored 26 tries and split the series with the Springboks.  The British and Irish Lions won the opening match 23-22.  That match is considered one of the best ever in the series and came down to a missed conversion by South Africa in injury time.

The South Africa Springboks punched back in the second match winning 25-9 on the hat-trick try performance from Tom van Vollenhoven.  The British and Irish Lions won the third match 9-6.  With an eye avoiding losing the series, South Africa Springboks stormed back to win 22-8 and share the spoils from one of the top tours in the history.

The 1959 tour began in Australia and was a continuation of the all out attack philosophy by the British and Irish Lions first seen four years earlier.  The Lions easily handles the Wallabies winning both test matches, 17-6 and 24-3.  The play in New Zealand was not as rewarding as the New Zealand All Blacks held on to win 3 of the four matches.

The first loss was the most difficult as the attacking style of the British and Irish Lions showcased 4 tries being scored but resulted in a 18-17 loss. The hero for the All Blacks was full-back Don Clarke who kicked a world record six penalties.

With injuries mounting, the Lions were forced to scramble their lineup and lost the second Test 11-8 followed up with a 22-8 win.  The Lions were able to salvage a 9-6 win in the final test before heading home.

The free wheelin’ 1950’s play came to an end with the return of pack play at the 1962 tour of South Africa.  The move did not show results as the tourists could only manage 1 draw and three losses in the four test matches.

The 1966 British and Irish Lions tour started off optimistically.  The tourist went unbeaten in Australia, including two test wins over the Wallabies, but the wheels fell off immediately upon arriving in New Zealand.  The challenge was stiff for the British and Irish Lions.  The All Blacks were at an all time high under coach Fred Allen and the golden age of New Zealand All Black rugby.

The British and Irish Lions lost the opening tour match to provincial side, Southland, then went on to lose all four test matches to New Zealand by lopsided margins.  The tourist returned home talking more about their claims of dirty play from the hosts than from the matches themselves.

The focus of the 1968 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa was primarily to erase the memories from two years earlier and restore pride in the British and Irish Lions and despite a losing record in test matches to the Springboks, the tourists were successful in regaining the Lions spirit.

The tourists lost three of the four matches to the Springboks drawing the other match but were over matched by the Bok side with Jan Ellis, Tommy Bedford and Piet Greyling in the back row and Frik du Preez at lock.

Tom Kiernan was the highlight for the Lions.  The Irish full back kicked a record 35 points in the test matches, all but three of the team’s points, to keep the scorelines close.

The turmoil of the 1960’s was put in the past with the 1971 tour to New Zealand.  The New Zealand All Blacks had dominated the Test matches for the past 75 years but this tour was different.  After dropping two warm-up matches in Australia, the Lions only suffered one loss in the 26 match tour in New Zealand including winning the Test series with 2 wins, 1 loss and a draw.

The team featured a large Welsh contingent.  Wales won the 1971 Grand Slam and Wales internationals Gareth Edwards, Barry John, Gerald Davies, JPR Williams, John Bevan, Mervyn Davies, Derek Quinnell and John Taylor all made the Lions tour team.

The success of 1971 carried over to the 1974 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.  The tour was the most successful and most violent for the traveling team.  The Lions posted an undefeated mark of 3 wins and 1 draw against the Springboks.

Before the tour, Lions management decided the only way to overcome the ‘blatant thuggery’ of the Springboks was to beat them to the punch and so they developed the infamous ’99 call,’ taking its name from the 999 number used in Britain and Ireland to call for emergency services.  The ‘Battle of Boet Erasmus Stadium’ was the most violent of the matches and is still considered one of the most violent rugby matches in history.

After back-to-back successful tours, the British and Irish Lions were eager for a return to New Zealand in 1977 but the results were not what they hoped for.  Despite losing just one of their 21 provincial matches, the Lions posted could not win the Test series losing 3-1 against the All Blacks in unusually wet weather.

The 1983 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand is one the team would like to forget.  For only the second time, the Lions were whitewashed in the Test series losing all four matches.  The only consolation was that the first three matches were close although to the last match ended 38-6, the All Blacks largest victory against the Lions.

The British and Irish Lions returned for the first time in ninety years to just Australia and was also notable for the schedule being trimmed to only 12 matches and for Lions making history by winning the Test series after dropping the opening match.

The Lions dropped the first Test to the Wallabies 30-12 but came out for the second match eager to prove their mettle and in a hard fought match, that included a couple of brawls, the Lions prevailed 19-12.  The final rubber match was a classic with the Lions holding on to win 19-18.

The 1993 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand made history as the last of the amateur age.  The tour encountered the usual frustrations against the All Blacks and the tourist ended up losing the Test series 2-1. 

The opening test match was frustrating for the Lions.  After conceding an early and controversial try, the Lions battled back to take a 18-17 lead with a minute left to play but conceded a second controversial try before the final whistle to lose 2-18.

The Lions went on to win the second Test 20-7 and appeared to be on their way to a series win after establishing a 10 point lead in the rubber match only to lose 30-13.

The start of the professional era for the British and Irish Lions did not look optimistic.  The 1997 tour to South Africa would pit the Lions up against the recently crowned World Champions and few gave them much hope.  But the British and Irish Lions surprised everyone winning the test series 2-1 and marching through the provincial campaign with only one loss.

The Lions opened the Test series with an epic 18-15 win and then claimed the series when Jeremy Guscott broke the 15-15 tie with a drop kick in the waning moments.

The Springboks put in a great performance in the final test to win 35-16.

History was made in the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia when fort the first time the team coach was from outside the British Isles in New Zealander Graham Henry and Martin Johnson became the first player to captain the tourists twice but on a infamous note also became the first British and Irish Lions side to lose a test series to Australia.

The tour was a positive in the support it received.  There were fears that with the Rugby World Cup established and the move to professionalism that the tour concept would lose some support and appreciation but the opposite happened with more than 20,000 fans heading south to cheer for the team.

Before the first test match there were rumblings coming from inside the tourists camp that there were discords among the players but if there were issues these were put to rest on the field.  The British and Irish Lions won the first test 29-13.

In the second match, the Lions were again looking impressive and took a 11-6 lead to the halftime break but the Wallabies broke through with a 15 point run over 10 minute in the second period to win 35-14.

The rubber match was the best of the series with the score tied at 23-23 with just over ten minutes to play.  Australia’s Matt Burke kicked in two penalties to give the hosts a 29-23 lead and it came down to a British and Irish Lions lineout in the Wallabies 22 in the games dying moments.  But the tourist came up short as Australia lock Justin Harrison stole the throw in and the Wallabies were able to run out the game.

The excitement ahead of the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand was extreme.  England Rugby World Cup winning coach Sir Clive Woodward was in charge of a deep and experienced side but the results did not live up to the expectations.  The Lions were whitewashed 3-0 in test matches.  The first time in 22 years they were held without a win in the tests.

The New Zealand All Blacks won the opening test easily winning 21-3 and the final scoreline was not a true indicator of how much the All Blacks dominated the match.  But it was not without controversy as Lions captain Brian O’Driscoll was lost for the rest of the tour with a broken collar bone after a spear tackle from Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu.

The result in the second match got only worse as the New Zealand All Blacks put a pounding on the British and Irish Lions.  The 48-18 result was the most points the Lions had given up in a test match in their 114 year history.

The New Zealand All Blacks completed the whitewash with a 38-19 win in the final test match and sent the Lions home to lick their wounds and try and focus on 2009.

Brtish and Irish Lions Feature Archive

Lions' Referees Announced - The International Rugby Board has announced the names of the match officials for the 10-match Lions' tour of South Africa, starting on 30 May, 2009.

Lions Squad - The 2009 British and Irish Lions tour squad was announced. Check out who made the squad for this year's British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa

Lions Chat: Gavin Hastings - There is no honour like captaining the British and Irish Lions - and no one appreciates that more than '93 tour captain, and Scottish legend, Gavin Hastings. In the first of our chats with the Lions legends, Rugby Rugby Editor Pete Murison catches up with the iconic fullback.

The Most Personable Lion - Rugby Rugby's Oracle, Paul Dobson takes us back in time and has a look at some of the great Lions of the past ... and tells us who he regards as the most remarkable of all.

Legends upbeat ahead of Lions tour - A trio of Lions heroes met in Birmingham on Friday for the latest 'Lions Legends' event in the build up to the highly-anticipated tour of South Africa later this year.

Lions Pride: Keeping the faith - The question on everyone’s lips this week - did the English players do enough to force themselves into the Rugby Rugby 2009 British and Irish Lions team. The answer, simply, is no. See who our selectors have picked to do the job in South Africa this summer.

Lions Pride: Kiwi could make Lions history - After taking a couple weeks of holiday at the end of the 6N, our coaching team regrouped on Monday and turned their attention to the upcoming British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa - see who they expect to start come June 20th in Durban.

Restoring the Lions Pride - The buildup to the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour continues here on Rugby Rugby with our columnist Jon Harris taking a brief look at the history and prestige that is all part of the Lions experience.