British and Irish rugby union team
Rugby team
The
British & Irish Lions
is a
rugby union
team selected from players eligible for the national teams of
England
,
Ireland
,
Scotland
, and
Wales
. The Lions are a
test
side and most often select players who have already played for their national team, although they can pick
uncapped
players who are eligible for any of the four unions. The team tours every four years, with these rotating between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in order. The most recent test series, the
2021 series
against
South Africa
, was won 2?1 by South Africa.
From 1888 onwards, combined British rugby sides toured the Southern Hemisphere. The first tour was a commercial venture, undertaken without official backing.
The six subsequent visits enjoyed a growing degree of support from the authorities, before the 1910 South Africa tour, which was the first tour representative of the four Home Unions.
In 1949 the four Home Unions formally created a Tours Committee
and for the first time, every player of the 1950 Lions squad had played internationally before the tour.
The 1950s tours saw high win rates in provincial games, but the Test series were typically lost or drawn. The series wins in 1971 (New Zealand) and 1974 (South Africa) interrupted this pattern. The last tour of the amateur age took place in 1993. The Lions have also played occasional matches in the Northern Hemisphere either as one-off exhibitions or before a Southern Hemisphere tour.
Naming and symbols
[
edit
]
Name
[
edit
]
The Shaw and Shrewsbury team first played in 1888 and is considered the precursor of the British & Irish Lions. It was then primarily English in composition but also contained players from Scotland and Wales. Later the team used the name
British Isles
.
[
when?
]
On their
1950 tour
of New Zealand and Australia they officially adopted the name British Lions, the nickname first used by British and South African journalists on the 1924 South African tour
after the lion emblem on their ties, the emblem on their jerseys having been dropped in favour of the four-quartered badge with the symbols of the four represented unions.
When the team first emerged in the 19th century, the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
was one single state. The team continued after the
Irish Free State
was set up in 1922, but was still known as the British Lions or British Isles. The name "British & Irish Lions" has been used since the
2001 tour of Australia
. The team is often referred to simply as the Lions.
Anthem
[
edit
]
As the Lions represent four rugby unions, which cover two sovereign states, they do not currently have a national anthem. For the 1989 tour, the British national anthem "
God Save the Queen
" was used.
[7]
For the 2005 tour to New Zealand, the Lions management commissioned a song, "
The Power of Four
", although it was met with little support among Lions fans at the matches and has not been used since.
Colours and strip
[
edit
]
For more than half a century, the Lions have worn a red jersey that sports the amalgamated crests of the four unions. Prior to 1950 the strip went through a number of significantly different formats.
[8]
Unsanctioned tours
[
edit
]
In 1888, the promoter of the first expedition to Australia and New Zealand,
Arthur Shrewsbury
, demanded "something that would be good material and yet take them by storm out here".
The result was a jersey in thick red, white and blue hoops, worn above white shorts and dark socks. The tours to South Africa in 1891 and 1896 retained the red, white and blue theme but this time as red and white hooped jerseys and dark blue shorts and socks.
The 1899 trip to Australia saw a reversion to red, white and blue jerseys, but with the blue used in thick hoops and the red and white in thin bands. The shorts remained blue, as did the socks although a white flash was added to the latter. The one-off test in 1999 between England and Australia that was played to commemorate Australia's first test against
Reverend Matthew Mullineux
's British side saw England wear an updated version of this jersey.
In 1903, the South Africa tour followed on from the 1896 tour, with red and white hooped jerseys. The slight differences were that the red hoops were slightly thicker than the white (the opposite was true in 1896), and the white flash on the socks introduced in 1899 was partially retained.
The Australia tour of 1904 saw exactly the same kit as in 1899. In 1908, with the Scottish and Irish unions not taking part, the Anglo-Welsh side sported red jerseys with a thick white band on tour to Australia and New Zealand.
[8]
Blue shorts were retained, but the socks were for the first time red, with a white flash.
Blue jerseys, the Lions named and the crest adopted
[
edit
]
Lions crest adopted in 1924
The Scots were once again involved in Tom Smyth's 1910 team to South Africa. Thus, dark blue jerseys were introduced with white shorts and the red socks of 1908.
The jerseys also had a single lion-rampant crest. The 1924 tour returned to South Africa, retaining the blue jerseys but now with shorts to match. It is the 1924 tour that is credited as being the first in which the team were referred to as "the Lions", the irony being that it was on this tour that the single lion-rampant crest was replaced with the forerunner of the four-quartered badge with the symbols of the four represented unions, that is still worn today. Although the lion had been dropped from the jersey, the players had worn the lion motif on their ties as they arrived in South Africa, which led the press and public referring to them as "the Lions".
The unofficial
1927 Argentina tour
used the same kit and badge,
[8]
and three heraldic lions returned as the jersey badge in 1930.
[8]
This was the tour to New Zealand where the tourists' now standard blue jerseys caused some controversy. The convention in rugby is for the home side to accommodate its guests when there is a clash of kit. The New Zealand side, by then already synonymous with the appellation "All Blacks", had an all black kit that clashed with the Lions' blue. After much reluctance and debate New Zealand agreed to change for the Tests and New Zealand played in all white for the first time. On the
1930 tour
a delegation led by the Irish lock
George Beamish
expressed their displeasure at the fact that while the blue of Scotland, white of England and red of Wales were represented in the strip there was no green for Ireland. A green flash was added to the socks, which from 1938 became a green turnover (although on blue socks thus eliminating red from the kit), and that has remained a feature of the strip ever since.
In 1936, the four-quartered badge returned for the
tour to Argentina
and has remained on the kits ever since,
[8]
but other than that the strip remained the same.
Red jerseys
[
edit
]
The adoption of the red jersey happened in the 1950 tour. A return to New Zealand was accompanied by a desire to avoid the controversy of 1930 and so red replaced blue for the jersey with the resultant kit being that which is still worn today, the combination of red jersey, white shorts and green and blue socks, representing the four unions.
[12]
The only additions to the strip since 1950 began appearing in 1993, with the addition of kit suppliers logos in prominent positions. Umbro had in 1989 asked for "maximum brand exposure whenever possible" but this did not affect the kit's appearance. Since then, Nike, Adidas and Canterbury have had more overt branding on the shirts, with sponsors
Scottish Provident
(1997),
NTL
(2001),
Zurich
(2005),
HSBC
(2009 and 2013),
[13]
Standard Life Investments
(2017) and
Vodafone
(2021).
[14]
Jersey evolution
[
edit
]
[8]
Squad
[
edit
]
2021 South Africa tour squad
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Back row
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
|
Centres
Back three
|
(
c
) Denotes team captain
|
History
[
edit
]
1888?1909
[
edit
]
Shaw & Shrewsbury Team, 1888, The first British or Irish touring rugby team, a private-enterprise trip to Australia and New Zealand
The earliest tours date back to 1888, when a 21-man squad visited Australia and New Zealand. The squad drew players from England, Scotland and Wales, though English players predominated. The 35-match tour of two host nations included no tests, but the side played provincial, city and academic sides, winning 27 matches. They played 19 games of
Australian rules football
, against prominent clubs in
Victoria
and South Australia, winning six and drawing one of these (see
Australian rules football in England
).
Two images of the 1891 tour on South Africa where the team ?despite its label as an 'England' side, included several Scots; (left): A group photograph of a team, (right): match v Cape Colony, the first of the tour that totalised 20 games
The first tour, although unsanctioned by rugby bodies, established the concept of Northern Hemisphere sporting sides touring to the Southern Hemisphere. Three years after the first tour, the
Western Province union
invited rugby bodies in Britain to tour South Africa. Some saw the
1891 team
? the first sanctioned by the
Rugby Football Union
? as the
England national team
, though others referred to it as "the British Isles". The tourists played a total of twenty matches, three of them tests. The team also played the regional side of South Africa (South Africa did not exist as a political unit in 1891), winning all three matches. In a notable event of the tour, the touring side presented the
Currie Cup
to
Griqualand West
, the province they thought produced the best performance on the tour.
Five years later a British Isles side returned to South Africa. They played one extra match on this tour, making the total of 21 games, including four tests against South Africa, with the British Isles winning three of them. The squad had a notable Irish orientation, with the Ireland national team contributing six players to the 21-man squad.
The full squad that in 1899 returned to Australia, where they played 21 games, including four tests
In 1899 the British Isles touring side returned to Australia for the first time since the unofficial tour of 1888. The squad of 23 for the first time ever had players from each of the home nations. The team again participated in 21 matches, playing state teams as well as northern
Queensland
sides and
Victorian
teams. A four-test series took place against
Australia
, the tourists winning three out of the four. The team returned via Hawaii and Canada playing additional games en route.
Four years later, in 1903, the British Isles team returned to South Africa. The opening performance of the side proved disappointing from the tourists' point of view, with defeats in its opening three matches by Western Province sides in
Cape Town
. From then on the team experienced mixed results, though more wins than losses. The side lost the test series to South Africa, drawing twice, but with the South Africans winning the decider 8 to nil.
The
Lions
team that toured on Australia and New Zealand in 1904. They played four test, winning three
No more than twelve months passed before the British Isles team ventured to Australia and New Zealand in 1904. The tourists devastated the Australian teams, winning every single game. Australia also lost all three tests to the visitors, even getting held to a standstill in two of the three games. Though the New Zealand leg of the tour did not take long in comparison to the number of Australian games, the British Isles experienced considerable difficulty across the Tasman after whitewashing the Australians. The team managed two early wins before losing the test to New Zealand and only winning one more game as well as drawing once. Despite their difficulties in New Zealand, the tour proved a raging success on-field for the British Isles.
In 1908, another tour took place to Australia and New Zealand. In a reversal of previous practice, the planners allocated more matches in New Zealand rather than in Australia: perhaps the strength of the New Zealand teams and the heavy defeats of all Australian teams on the previous tour influenced this decision. Some commentators thought that this tour hoped to reach out to rugby communities in Australia, as
rugby league
(infamously) started in Australia in 1908. The Anglo-Welsh side (Irish and Scottish unions did not participate) performed well in all the non-test matches, but drew a test against New Zealand and lost the other two.
1910?1949
[
edit
]
Official photo of the squad that toured on South Africa in 1910
Visits that took place before the 1910 South Africa tour (the first selected by a committee from the four Home Unions) had enjoyed a growing degree of support from the authorities, although only one of these included representatives of all four nations. The 1910 tour to South Africa marked the official beginning of British Isles rugby tours: the inaugural tour operating under all four unions. The team performed moderately against the non-test teams, claiming victories in just over half their matches, and the test series went to South Africa, who won two of the three games. A side managed by Oxford University ? supposedly the England rugby team, but actually including three Scottish players ?
toured Argentina
at the time: the people of Argentina termed it the "Combined British".
The next British Isles team tour did not take place until
1924
, again in South Africa. The team, led by
Ronald Cove-Smith
, struggled with injuries and lost three of the four test matches, drawing the other 3?3. In total, 21 games were played, with the touring side winning 9, drawing 3 and losing 9.
The British Lions before playing the 4th. match v.
Argentina
during their second tour to the country in
1927
In
1927
a short, nine-game series took place in
Argentina
, with the British isles winning all nine encounters, and the tour was a financial success for
Argentine rugby
. The Lions returned to New Zealand in 1930 with some success. The Lions won all of their games that did not have test status except for the matches against
Auckland
,
Wellington
and
Canterbury
, but they lost three of their four test matches against
New Zealand
, winning the first test 6?3. The side also visited Australia, losing a test but winning five out of the six non-test games.
In
1936
the British Isles visited Argentina for the third time, winning all ten of their matches and only conceding nine points in the whole tour. Two years later in 1938 the British Isles toured in South Africa, winning more than half of their normal matches. Despite having lost the test series to South Africa by game three, they won the final test. This is when they were named THE LIONS by their then Captain Sam Walker.
1950?1969
[
edit
]
The first post-war tour went to New Zealand and Australia in 1950. The Lions, sporting newly redesigned jerseys and displaying a fresh style of play, managed to win 22 and draw one of 29 matches over the two nations. The Lions won the opening four fixtures before losing to
Otago
and
Southland
, but succeeded in holding New Zealand to a 9?9 draw. The Lions performed well in the remaining All Black tests though they lost all three, the team did not lose another non-test in the New Zealand leg of the tour. The Lions won all their games in Australia except for their final fixture against a
New South Wales
XV in
Newcastle
. They won both tests against
Australia
, in
Brisbane
,
Queensland
and in Sydney.
In 1955 the Lions toured South Africa and left with another imposing record, one draw and 19 wins from the 25 fixtures. The four-test series against
South Africa
, a thrilling affair, ended in a drawn series.
The 1959 tour to Australia and New Zealand marked once again a very successful tour for the Lions, who only lost six of their 35 fixtures. The Lions easily won both tests against Australia and lost the first three tests against New Zealand, but did find victory (9?6) in the final test.
After the glittering decade of the 1950s, the first tour of the 1960s proved not nearly as successful as previous ones. The 1962 tour to South Africa saw the Lions still win 16 of their 25 games, but did not fare well against the Springboks, losing three of the four tests. For the 1966 tour to Australia and New Zealand
John Robins
became the first Lions coach, and the trip started off very well for the Lions, who stormed through Australia, winning five non-tests and drawing one, and defeating Australia in two tests. The Lions experienced mixed results during the New Zealand leg of the tour, as well as losing all of the tests against New Zealand. The Lions also played a test against
Canada
on their way home, winning 19 to 8 in
Toronto
. The 1968 tour of South Africa saw the Lions win 15 of their 16 provincial matches, but the team actually lost three tests against the Springboks and drew one.
1970?1979
[
edit
]
The 1970s saw a renaissance for the Lions. The
1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
, centred around the skilled Welsh half-back pairing of
Gareth Edwards
and
Barry John
, secured a series win over New Zealand. The tour started with a loss to Queensland but proceeded to storm through the next provincial fixtures, winning 11 games in a row. The Lions then went on to defeat New Zealand in
Dunedin
. The Lions only lost one match on the rest of the tour and won the test series against New Zealand, winning and drawing the last two games, to take the series two wins to one.
The
1974 British Lions tour to South Africa
was one of the best-known and most successful Lions teams. Apartheid concerns meant some players declined the tour. Nonetheless, led by the esteemed Irish forward
Willie John McBride
, the tour went through 22 games unbeaten and triumphed 3?0 (with one drawn) in the test series. The series featured a lot of violence. The management of the Lions concluded that the Springboks dominated their opponents with physical aggression. At that time, test match referees came from the home nation, substitutions took place only if a doctor found a player unable to continue and there were no video cameras or sideline officials to prevent violent play. The Lions decided "to get their retaliation in first" with the infamous "
99 call
". The Lions postulated that a South African referee would probably not send off all of the Lions if they all retaliated against "blatant thuggery". Famous video footage of the 'battle of
Boet Erasmus Stadium'
shows
JPR Williams
running over half of the pitch and launching himself at Van Heerden after such a call.
The
1977 British Lions tour to New Zealand
saw the Lions drop only one non-test out of 21 games, a loss to a Universities side. The team did not win the test series though, winning one game but losing the other three.
In August 1977 the British Lions made a stopover in Fiji on the way home from their tour of New Zealand. Fiji beat them 25?21 at Buckhurst Park, Suva.
1980?1989
[
edit
]
The Lions toured
South Africa in 1980
, and completed a flawless non-test record, winning 14 out of 14 matches. The Lions lost the first three tests to South Africa, only winning the last one once the Springboks were guaranteed to win the series.
The
1983 tour to New Zealand
saw the team successful in the non-test games, winning all but two games, but being whitewashed in the test series against New Zealand.
A tour to South Africa by the Lions was anticipated in 1986, but the invitation for the Lions to tour was never accepted because of controversy surrounding
Apartheid
and the tour did not go ahead.
[15]
The Lions did not return to South Africa until 1997, after the Apartheid era. A Lions team was selected in April 1986 for the
International Rugby Board
centenary match against '
The Rest
'. The team was organised by the Four Home Unions Committee and the players were given the status of official British Lions.
[16]
The Lions tour to
Australia in 1989
was a shorter affair, being only 12 matches in total. The tour was very successful for the Lions, who won all eight non-test matches and won the test series against Australia, two to one.
1990?1999
[
edit
]
The tour to
New Zealand in 1993
was the last of the amateur era. The Lions won six and lost four non-test matches, and lost the test series 2?1. The tour to
South Africa in 1997
was a success for the Lions, who completed the tour with only two losses, and won the test series 2?1.
2000?2009
[
edit
]
The British & Irish Lions against New Zealand in 2005
In 2001, the ten-game
tour to Australia
saw the
Wallabies
win the test series 2?1. This series saw the first award of the
Tom Richards Trophy
. In the
Lions' 2005 tour to New Zealand
, coached by Clive Woodward, the Lions won seven games against provincial teams, were defeated by the New Zealand Maori team, and suffered heavy defeats in all three tests.
In 2009, the Lions
toured South Africa
. There they faced the
World Cup
winners South Africa, with
Ian McGeechan
leading a coaching team including
Warren Gatland
,
Shaun Edwards
and
Rob Howley
. The Lions were captained by Irish lock
Paul O'Connell
.
[17]
The initial Lions selection consisted of fourteen Irish players, thirteen Welsh, eight English and two Scots in the 37-man squad. In the first Test on 20 June, they lost 26?21, and lost the series in the second 28?25 in a tightly fought game at Loftus Versfeld on 27 June.
[18]
The Lions won the third Test 28?9 at
Ellis Park
, and the series finished 2?1 to South Africa.
2010?2019
[
edit
]
During June 2013 the British & Irish Lions
toured Australia
. Former Scotland and Lions full-back
Andy Irvine
was appointed as tour manager in 2010.
[19]
Wales
head coach
Warren Gatland
was the Lions' head coach, and their tour captain was
Sam Warburton
. The tour started in Hong Kong with a match against the
Barbarians
before moving on to Australia for the main tour featuring six provincial matches and three tests.
[20]
The Lions won all but one non-test matches, losing to the
Brumbies
14?12 on 18 June. The first test was followed shortly after this, which saw the Lions go 1-up over Australia winning 23?21. Australia did have a chance to take the win in the final moments of the game, but a missed penalty by
Kurtley Beale
saw the Lions take the win. The Wallabies drew the series in the second test winning 16?15, though the Lions had a chance to steal the win had it not been because of a missed penalty by
Leigh Halfpenny
. With tour captain Warburton out of the final test due to injury,
Alun Wyn Jones
took over the captaincy in the final test in Sydney. The final test was won by the Lions in what was a record win, winning 41?16 to earn their first series win since
1997
and their first over Australia since
1989
.
Following his winning tour of Australia in 2013, Warren Gatland was reappointed as Lions Head Coach for the
tour to New Zealand
in June and July 2017. In April 2016, it was announced that the side would again be captained again by
Sam Warburton
. The touring schedule included 10 games: an opening game against the
Provincial Barbarians
, challenge matches against all five of New Zealand's
Super Rugby
sides, a match against the
M?ori All Blacks
and three tests against
New Zealand
. The Lions defeated the Provincial Barbarians in the first game of the tour, before being beaten by the
Blues
three days later. The team recovered to beat the
Crusaders
but this was followed up with another midweek loss, this time against the
Highlanders
. The Lions then faced the M?ori All Blacks, winning comfortably to restore optimism and followed up with their first midweek victory of the tour against the
Chiefs
. On 24 June, the Lions, captained by
Peter O'Mahony
, faced New Zealand in
Eden Park
in the first Test and were beaten 30?15. This was followed by the final midweek game of the tour, a draw against the
Hurricanes
. For the second Test, Gatland recalled Warburton to the starting team as captain. In
Wellington Regional Stadium
, the Lions beat a 14-man New Zealand side 24?21 after Sonny Bill Williams was red-carded at the 24-minute mark after a shoulder charge on Anthony Watson. This tied the series going into the final game, ending the side's 47-game winning run at home. In the final test at Eden Park the following week, the teams were tied at 15 points apiece with 78 minutes gone. Romain Poite signaled a penalty to New Zealand for an offside infringement after Ken Owens received the ball in front of his teammate Liam Williams, giving New Zealand the opportunity to kick for goal and potentially win the series. Poite, however, decided to downgrade the penalty to a free-kick after discussing with assistant referee Jerome Garces and Lions captain Sam Warburton. The match finished as a draw and the series was tied.
2020?present
[
edit
]
Warren Gatland was Lions head coach again for the
tour to South Africa in 2021
.
[21]
In December 2019, the Lions' Test venues were announced,
[22]
but the tour was significantly disrupted by the
COVID-19
pandemic, and all the games were played behind closed doors. South Africa won the test series by two games to one. In the deciding third test, Morne Steyn again kicked a late penalty to win the series. In 2024, it was announced that
Andy Farrell
would succeed Gatland as the Lions head coach.
[23]
A
women's Lions team
was established in 2024, with their inaugural tour to New Zealand to take place in 2027.
[24]
Overall test match record
[
edit
]
- As of 31 July 2021
.
Overall test series results
Tours
[
edit
]
Format
[
edit
]
The Lions now regularly tour three Southern Hemisphere countries; Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. They also toured Argentina three times before the
Second World War
. Since 1989 tours have been held every four years. The most recent tour was to South Africa in 2021.
In a break with tradition, the
2005 tour of New Zealand
was preceded by a "home" fixture against
Argentina
at the
Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff on 23 May 2005. It finished in a 25?25 draw. A similar fixture was held against
Japan
before the
2021 tour of South Africa
at
Murrayfield
, with the Lions winning 28-10.
On tour, games take place against local provinces, clubs or representative sides as well as test matches against the host's national team.
The Lions and their predecessor teams have also played games against other nearby countries on tour. For example, they played
Rhodesia
in
1910
,
1924
,
1938
,
1955
,
1962
,
1968
and
1974
during their tours to South Africa. They were also beaten by
Fiji
on their
1977 tour to New Zealand
. In addition, they visited pre-independence
Namibia
(then
South West Africa
), in
1955
,
1962
,
1968
and
1974
.
There have also been games in other countries on the way home. These include games in
Canada
in
1959
and
1966
,
East Africa
(then mostly
Kenya
, and held in
Nairobi
), and an unofficial game against
Ceylon
(future Sri Lanka) in
1950
.
Year
|
To
|
Captain
|
Head coach
|
Top scorer in Tests
|
Test series result
|
Tests record
|
1888
|
New Zealand
and Australia
|
Robert Seddon
Andrew Stoddart
|
Alfred Shaw
Arthur Shrewsbury
|
No Test matches played
|
1891
|
South Africa
|
Bill Maclagan
|
Edwin Ash
|
Arthur Rotherham
, 4
|
Won
|
3?0
|
1896
|
South Africa
|
Johnny Hammond
Thomas Crean
|
Roger Walker
|
J. F. Byrne
, 12
|
Won
|
3?1
|
1899
|
Australia
|
Matthew Mullineux
Frank Stout
|
Matthew Mullineux
|
Charlie Adamson
, 17
|
Won
|
3?1
|
1903
|
South Africa
|
Mark Morrison
|
Johnny Hammond
|
John Gillespie
, 4
|
Lost
|
0?1?2
|
1904
|
Australia
and New Zealand
|
David Bedell-Sivright
Teddy Morgan
|
Arthur O'Brien
|
Percy Bush
, 20
|
Won
Lost
|
3?0
(Australia)
0?1
(New Zealand)
|
1908
|
New Zealand
and Australia
|
Arthur Harding
|
George Harnett
|
Reggie Gibbs
, 3
Jack Jones
, 3
|
Lost
|
0?2?1
(NZ)
No tests against Australia
|
1910
|
South Africa
|
Tommy Smyth
Jack Jones
|
William Cail
Walter E. Rees
|
Jack Spoors
, 9
|
Lost
|
1?2
|
1910
|
Argentina
|
John Raphael
|
R.V. Stanley
|
Harold Monks
, 10
(no test caps awarded)
|
Won
|
1?0
|
1924
|
South Africa
|
Ronald Cove-Smith
|
Harry Packer
|
Tom Voyce, 6
|
Lost
|
0?3?1
|
1927
|
Argentina
|
David MacMyn
|
James Baxter
|
Ernest Hammett
, 40
(no test caps awarded)
|
Won
|
4?0
|
1930
|
New Zealand
and Australia
|
Doug Prentice
Carl Aarvold
|
James Baxter
|
Carl Aarvold
, 9
|
Lost
Lost
|
1?3
(New Zealand)
0?1
(Australia)
|
1936
|
Argentina
|
Bernard Gadney
|
Doug Prentice
|
John Brett
, 7
(no test caps awarded)
|
Won
|
1?0
|
1938
|
South Africa
|
Sam Walker
|
Major B.C. Hartley
|
Vivian Jenkins
, 9
|
Lost
|
1?2
|
1950
|
New Zealand
and Australia
|
Karl Mullen
Bleddyn Williams
|
Leslie B. Osborne
|
Lewis Jones
, 26
|
Lost
Won
|
0?3?1
(NZ)
2?0
(Australia)
|
1955
|
South Africa
|
Robin Thompson
Cliff Morgan
|
Jack Siggins
|
Jeff Butterfield
, 12
|
Tied
|
2?2
|
1959
|
Australia
and New Zealand
|
Ronnie Dawson
|
O. B. Glasgow
|
David Hewitt
, 16
|
Won
Lost
|
2?0
(Australia)
1?3
(New Zealand)
|
1962
|
South Africa
|
Arthur Smith
Dickie Jeeps
|
Harry McKibbin
|
John Willcox
, 5
|
Lost
|
0?3?1
|
1966
|
Australia
and New Zealand
|
David Watkins
Mike Campbell-Lamerton
|
John Robins
|
Stewart Wilson
, 30
|
Won
Lost
|
2?0
(Australia)
0?4
(New Zealand)
|
1968
|
South Africa
|
Tom Kiernan
|
Ronnie Dawson
|
Tom Kiernan
, 35
|
Lost
|
0?3?1
|
1971
|
New Zealand
|
John Dawes
|
Carwyn James
|
Barry John
, 30
|
Won
|
2?1?1
|
1974
|
South Africa
|
Willie John McBride
|
Syd Millar
|
Phil Bennett
, 26
|
Won
|
3?0?1
|
1977
|
New Zealand
|
Phil Bennett
|
John Dawes
|
Phil Bennett
, 18
|
Lost
|
1?3
|
1980
|
South Africa
|
Bill Beaumont
|
Noel Murphy
|
Tony Ward
, 18
|
Lost
|
1?3
|
1983
|
New Zealand
|
Ciaran Fitzgerald
|
Jim Telfer
|
Ollie Campbell
, 15
|
Lost
|
0?4
|
1989
|
Australia
|
Finlay Calder
|
Ian McGeechan
|
Gavin Hastings
, 28
|
Won
|
2?1
|
1993
|
New Zealand
|
Gavin Hastings
|
Ian McGeechan
|
Gavin Hastings
, 38
|
Lost
|
1?2
|
1997
|
South Africa
|
Martin Johnson
|
Ian McGeechan
|
Neil Jenkins
, 41
|
Won
|
2?1
|
2001
|
Australia
|
Martin Johnson
|
Graham Henry
|
Jonny Wilkinson
, 36
|
Lost
|
1?2
|
2005
|
New Zealand
|
Brian O'Driscoll
Gareth Thomas
|
Clive Woodward
|
Stephen Jones
, 14
|
Lost
|
0?3
|
2009
|
South Africa
|
Paul O'Connell
|
Ian McGeechan
|
Stephen Jones
, 39
|
Lost
|
1?2
|
2013
|
Australia
|
Sam Warburton
Alun Wyn Jones
|
Warren Gatland
|
Leigh Halfpenny
, 49
|
Won
|
2?1
|
2017
|
New Zealand
|
Sam Warburton
Peter O'Mahony
|
Warren Gatland
|
Owen Farrell
, 31
|
Tied
|
1?1?1
|
2021
|
South Africa
|
Alun Wyn Jones
|
Warren Gatland
|
Dan Biggar
, 23
|
Lost
|
1?2
|
2025
|
Australia
|
|
Andy Farrell
|
|
|
|
2029
|
New Zealand
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other matches
[
edit
]
Lions non-tour and home matches
[
edit
]
The Lions have played a number of other matches against international opposition. With the exception of the matches against Argentina in 2005 and Japan in 2021, which were preparation matches for Lions tours, these matches have been one-offs to mark special occasions.
The Lions played an unofficial international match in 1955 at
Cardiff Arms Park
against a Welsh XV to mark the 75th anniversary of the
Welsh Rugby Union
. The Lions won 20?17 but did not include all the big names of the 1955 tour, such as
Tony O'Reilly
,
Jeff Butterfield
, Phil Davies,
Dickie Jeeps
,
Bryn Meredith
and
Jim Greenwood
.
[25]
[26]
In 1977, the Lions played their first official home game, against the
Barbarians
as a charity fund-raiser held as part of the
Queen's silver jubilee
celebrations. The Baa-Baas line-up featured JPR Williams, Gerald Davies, Gareth Edwards, Jean-Pierre Rives and Jean-Claude Skrela. The Lions included 13 of the team who played in the fourth test against New Zealand three weeks before and won 23?14.
[27]
In 1986, a match was organised against
The Rest
as a warm-up to the 1986 South Africa tour, and as a celebration to mark the
International Rugby Board
's centenary. The Lions lost 15?7 and the planned tour was subsequently cancelled.
In 1989, the Lions
played against France in Paris
. The game formed part of the celebrations of the bi-centennial of the French Revolution. The Lions, captained by
Rob Andrew
, won 29?27.
In 1990, a
Four Home Unions
team played against the
Rest of Europe
in a match to raise money for the rebuilding of Romania following the overthrow of
Nicolae Ceau?escu
in December 1989. The team used the Lions' logo, while the Rest of Europe played under the symbol of the
Romanian Rugby Federation
.
Player records
[
edit
]
- Players in
bold
are still active at international level.
- Only matches against full international sides are listed.
Most caps
[
edit
]
Updated 7 August 2021
[2]
Most points
[
edit
]
Updated 31 July 2021
[2]
Most tries
[
edit
]
Updated 31 July 2021
[2]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
a.
^
Names of the Lions in the languages of Britain and Ireland:
- English
:
British & Irish Lions
- Irish
:
Leoin na Breataine agus na hEireann
- Scots
:
Breetish an Erse Lions
- Scottish Gaelic
:
Leoghainn Bhreatainn agus Eireann
- Welsh
:
Llewod Prydeinig a Gwyddelig
- Cornish
:
Lewyow Predennek ha Iwerdhonek
References
[
edit
]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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History
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Trophies
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Matches
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Tours
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New Zealand
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Argentina
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Related
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Emerging teams with
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