British & Irish Lions

Eight months at sea, 35 matches, zero RFU blessing; the Lions were born in defiance.

Organised by cricket entrepreneurs Arthur Shrewsbury and Alfred Shaw, a squad of 21 English and Scottish players embarked on a gruelling tour of Australia and New Zealand. The trip lasted over eight months and included 35 matches. It was not sanctioned by the RFU, and the players received expenses that blurred the amateur code, but the seed of the Lions concept was planted.

Four unions, one squad, twenty-four matches; the Lions template was cast in 1910, long before the name existed.

The 1910 tour to South Africa was the first to include players from all four unions: England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The squad played 24 matches, winning the test series 1-0 with two draws. It established the template of a combined British Isles side that would endure for over a century, though the team would not officially be called the "Lions" for decades yet.

A nickname coined by South African journalists in 1924 outlasted every jersey change that followed.

On the 1924 tour to South Africa, the squad wore blue jerseys and were dubbed the "Lions" by local press, reportedly inspired by the lion motif on their ties. The name stuck. By the 1950 tour to New Zealand, the team had adopted the now-iconic red jersey, cementing the visual identity that supporters worldwide recognise instantly.

Still the only Lions side to conquer New Zealand in a series; no squad since 1971 has come close.

The 1971 Lions, coached by the brilliant Welshman Carwyn James, achieved what no Lions squad has managed since: a test series victory in New Zealand. Led by John Dawes and featuring legends like Barry John, Gareth Edwards, and Willie John McBride, they won the series 2-1 with one draw. Barry John's virtuoso performances earned him the nickname "The King" from New Zealand fans.

Twenty-two matches across South Africa and not one defeat; the 1974 Lions left with the series and the scars to prove it.

Willie John McBride captained the 1974 Lions to South Africa, where they went unbeaten across 22 matches, winning the test series 3-0 with one draw. The squad's physicality was uncompromising. Their infamous "99" call, a pre-arranged signal for all players to pile in during confrontations, ensured referees could not single out individuals. It was brutal, effective, and utterly of its era.

Johnson's Lions silenced South Africa 2-1, proving the professional era had no appetite for killing off the greatest tour in rugby.

The first Lions tour of the professional era was managed by Fran Cotton and coached by Ian McGeechan, the Scot who would become synonymous with Lions rugby. Martin Johnson captained a squad that won the test series 2-1 against South Africa, with a defining second test victory in Durban. The tour proved the Lions concept could thrive in the new professional landscape and reignited public passion for the touring tradition.

Sixteen years of hurt, silenced at last by Halfpenny's boot and 30,000 roaring travelling Lions fans.

After series defeats in 2001, 2005, and 2009, the Lions were in danger of becoming a romantic anachronism. Warren Gatland's 2013 squad to Australia changed the narrative. They won the series 2-1, with Leigh Halfpenny's boot and a ferocious defensive effort in the decisive third test in Sydney securing the first Lions series victory in 16 years. The tour attracted 30,000 travelling supporters.

At Eden Park, a draw felt like the greatest victory in Lions history.

Gatland returned as head coach for the 2017 tour to New Zealand, facing an All Blacks side widely considered the greatest team in rugby history. After losing the first test, the Lions levelled the series in Wellington before a dramatic 15-15 draw in the decider at Eden Park. The drawn series against such formidable opposition was widely celebrated as a triumph of collective will.

Glory without the roar; the Lions claimed Cape Town, but the Springboks took the series 2-1 in silence.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced the 2021 tour to South Africa to be played almost entirely without spectators. Gatland coached his third consecutive Lions tour, but the Springboks, reigning World Cup champions, won the series 2-1. The empty stadiums stripped the tour of its famous travelling support, yet the on-field contest was fierce. The first test victory for the Lions in Cape Town offered a glimpse of what might have been.

Farrell arrives in Australia with Lions colours for the first time, and a squad built to silence the ghosts of 2021.

The 2025 Lions tour to Australia marks the return to a country that has always produced memorable series. Andy Farrell, the Ireland head coach who guided them to back-to-back Six Nations titles, takes charge of the Lions for the first time. With matches across Australian cities and a new generation of talent from all four nations, the tour promises to restore the full spectacle after the muted 2021 experience.