Fiji beat them 25–21 at Buckhurst Park, Suva. In the final test at Eden Park the following week, the teams were tied at 15 points apiece with 78 minutes gone. The last tour of the amateur age took place in 1993. [9] The jerseys also had a single lion-rampant crest. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. 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. Previous tours have seen some non-Test players become demotivated, but more recently this issue has reduced because of high injury rates, increased use of replacements and greater selection flexibility. Date published: April 25 2013. In 1899 the British Isles touring side returned to Australia for the first time since the unofficial tour of 1888. “It just comes down to preparation,” Genia said. 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. The first post-war tour went to New Zealand and Australia in 1950. The Lions were captained by Irish lock Paul O'Connell. 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. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Four years later, in 1903, the British Isles team returned to South Africa. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. The Lions then went on to defeat the All Blacks in Dunedin. The squad drew players from England, Scotland and Wales, though English players predominated. 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. 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. } “I don’t think they would have shown their hand fully so we have been preparing as that is the case. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The 35-match tour of two host nations included no tests, but the side played provincial, city and academic sides, winning 27 matches. 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 most notably defeating Australia in two tests as well. 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 four-test series against South Africa, a thrilling affair, ended in a drawn series. The Lions lost 15–7 and the planned tour was subsequently cancelled. 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".[10]. 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. Tours take place every four years. For example, they played Rhodesia (the future Zimbabwe) in 1910, 1924, 1938, 1955, 1962, 1968 & 1974 during their tours to South Africa. Despite having lost the test series to South Africa by game three, they won the final test. Home News Australia v Lions 3rd Test – 2001. [19] Wales head coach Warren Gatland was the Lions' head coach, and their tour captain was Sam Warburton. 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. The team recovered to beat the Crusaders but this was followed up with another midweek loss, this time against the Highlanders. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Christian Leali’ifano at inside centre “just gives us another ball player”, Genia added. ^ Names of the Lions in the languages of Britain and Ireland: This article is about the Great Britain and Ireland men's rugby union team. 2001: Lions lost 2-1 in Australia; 2005: Lions lost 3-0 in New Zealand; 2009: Lions lost 2-1 in South Africa; 2013: Lions won 2-1 in Australia [4] In 1949 the four Home Unions formally created a Tours Committee[5] and for the first time, every player of the 1950 Lions squad had played internationally before the tour. 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. “The way the back line is at the moment, we’ve got three or four playmakers within that group,” the 25-year-old said. Former Scotland and Lions full-back Andy Irvine was appointed as tour manager in 2010. The Lions then faced the Māori All Blacks, winning comfortably to restore optimism and followed up with their first midweek victory of the tour against the Chiefs. if (refR.length>=252) refR=refR.substring(0,252)+"..."; This series saw the first award of the Tom Richards Trophy. The earliest tours date back to 1888, when a 21-man squad visited Australia and New Zealand. [9] The Australia tour of 1904 saw exactly the same kit as in 1899, and it seemed that the British touring sides had settled on kits particular to the host destination. The 1924 tour returned to South Africa, retaining the blue jerseys but now with shorts to match. 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 however lost the first three tests to South Africa, only winning the last one once the Springboks were guaranteed to win the series.