What was the best winning Lions tour?
The British and Irish Lions ended a 12-year wait for a Test series win after dramatically defeating Australia 29-26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.Things could get even better for Andy Farrell's side as they aim to win the series 3-0 in Sydney this weekend.They could become the first Lions side since 1927 in Argentina to record a whitewash and the first since the legendary 1974 team to finish a tour unbeaten.In a podcast series on BBC Sounds, former Lions Matt Dawson and Jamie Roberts join BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones to discuss the best tours.Where will the Lions of 2025 rank among the previous five winning tours?
Australia - 2013
The British and Irish Lions ended a 16-year wait for a series win in 2013, with a stunning second-half demolition of Australia to win the deciding third Test 41-16 in Sydney.Warren Gatland's side almost clinched the series in the second Test but were edged out 16-15 in a gripping encounter.Wales centre Roberts missed the first two Tests in Australia but returned for the decider and helped the Lions run in 27 points in a spectacular second-half display.Roberts: "[Before 2025] it was the only tour the Lions have won this century."The deciding Test had all the ingredients for the fan. But we'd have been disappointed to lose that series with the quality that we had."Dawson: "The fans loved that the Lions won that tour, especially the style they did it by thrashing Australia in the third Test."
1989 - Australia
The Lions only lost one game during their 1989 tour of Australia, which was the first Test defeat in Sydney.Victory in the second Test was potentially helped by a punch-up involving scrum-halves Rob Jones and Nick Farr-Jones at the opening scrum, which sparked a mass brawl and put the Wallabies off their game.The Lions sealed the third Test when one of the greats of the game, David Campese, famously threw a wild pass on his own tryline and Ieuan Evans dived on the loose ball for the match-winning try.It was the Lions' first series win since 1974.Dawson: "Australia went on to win the 1991 World Cup. They won the first Test but the Lions came back to win 2-1."The Lions were lost. Growing up, in my single digit years, I don't remember knowing anything about the Lions."When I talk to the guys on that tour, they have amazing memories. They set the standard for midweek rugby and that being a thing within the Lions."It was a generational change to Lions tours. A flag-in-the-ground moment to help resurrect the Lions."The opposition in 1989 were better than 2013."
1971 - New Zealand
Featuring a squad packed with Wales legends including Barry John, Gareth Edwards and JPR Williams, the Lions recorded their only series win in New Zealand in 1971.The Lions, captained by another Welshman John Dawes and featuring Ireland lock Willie John McBride, won the third Test to take a crucial 2-1 lead into the final match in Auckland.Williams, who died last year at the age of 74, helped seal the series with a long-range drop-goal that enabled his side to draw the Test 14-14.Roberts: "It is a Test series win in New Zealand and the only one."Those players did incredible things for their countries, but the Lions defined their legacy. Those two tours [1971 and 1974] defined their legacies. That's why those two tours will always be remembered."
1974 - South Africa
McBride captained the famous 'Invincibles' trip to South Africa in 1974, when his side went unbeaten across the entire 22-match tour.The 1974 team are generally regarded as the greatest Lions side in history after winning three Tests and drawing the last one.The current crop in Australia have an opportunity to go one better by winning every game in Australia, if they are victorious in the third Test on Saturday in Sydney, although theirs is only a nine-match tour and they lost to Argentina in a warm-up game in Dublin.Dawson: "When we arrived for our tour in 1997, on most of the television channels in South Africa for hours would be the 'Invincibles' tour."Reruns of all the games. Wherever you looked there was something to do with the 'Invincibles'."Roberts: "The history and aura that surrounds that tour. Yes, they won in New Zealand three years prior but to go unbeaten over that many matches in South Africa is unparalleled."There is something about that tour that will never be forgotten."
1997 - South Africa
Jeremy Guscott nailed a late drop-goal in Durban from in front of the posts to win the second Test against South Africa and clinch the 1997 series.The tour marked the first of the professional era and was the last time before this year that the Lions had clinched a series after two Tests.The legendary Living With Lions documentary in 1997 showed unfiltered behind-the-scenes footage of the tour, with the series ending 2-1.England scrum-half Dawson, who started all three Tests, threw a famous dummy to score a crucial late try in the first Test victory.Dawson: "In 1997, it was a series-winning tour on and off the pitch, as you'd have seen on Living with the Lions."We lost one midweek game against the Bulls and one Test match. Every story from every tour has pretty much involved the fans. The 1997 tour started it, the sea of red and rugby cult that went on forever."Roberts: "It was the first game in the pro era and had public engagement with Living with the Lions. It was the world champions, who they beat in their own backyard."They weren't given a chance. It was against the odds."
More from the Top 10 series
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Australia survive chaos and carnage as Lions clean sweep dreams washed away
If last week's second Test at the MCG was an epic occasion of grand proportions, this was a rugby experience quite unlike just about anything that had gone before in a very different way. It was tough to make sense of all that unfolded over 80 minutes – and more – of chaos and carnage: a series of worrying head injuries, brawls breaking out all over the place and a 40-minute delay as lightning brought a halt to messy proceedings early in the second half. And, at the end of it all, Australia emerged from a night of incident and accident having avoided the ignominy of a 3-0 whitewash. There was to be no glorious farewell for a British and Irish Lions side that had thought of themselves as history-makers; it was the Wallabies with a golden goodbye. The tourists had spoken of finishing the job properly, gathering together for one last push to go where no Lions team had since 1927 – but a combination of misfortune and mishaps left a dispirited group to celebrate series victory on the back of a defeat. Even a meticulous planner like Andy Farrell would surely not have scenario planned for all that unfolded in Sydney. The Lions lost their captain, Maro Itoje, to injury half-an-hour in and 12 minutes later his second-row partner, James Ryan, in a sickening clash of knee on head. The withdrawal of Tommy Freeman meant a forward-heavy bench split backfired, while the long weather delay seemed to aid Australia, who re-emerged with greater purpose. But the Lions had been short of their best before all of that, and the hosts were more than worthy winners. Had Farrell's squad finally felt the exertions of a long season and tour? Or did they take their eye off the ball ever so slightly with the series secure? Both would be plausible but hugely frustrate Farrell and his squad given a clean sweep had been so squarely their aim. The Wallabies may rue their first half no-show in the first Test, and that Will Skelton was not able to feature in Brisbane – when the mighty lock has been on the field, they have had the superiority in this series. It had been wet all week in Sydney but this was a night to leave Noah fretting about the readiness of his ark. Down the rain tumbled in alternating bands of heavy and torrential, soaking most of those gathered. Just as a week ago, there was plenty of needle and niggle with the Wallabies amongst things early, Skelton once again making his sizeable presence known with brusque re-introductions to familiar foes. Nic White was unsurprisingly in the thick of things, too, the scrum half playing for the final time in Wallabies colours after a career in which he had established himself as a moustachioed menace to rugby society. He has been a fine controlling nine for nights like these, too, and Australia got to the grips with the challenging conditions rather better. The Lions' ambition and intricacy in phase play has been a theme of their trip but this was not a night for overly extravagant touches, and it took time for them to adjust. Even Finn Russell, who had played this tour with the easy air of a man with a pipe and smoking jacket, was struggling, shelling a simple pass and then finding his lower vertebrae re-arranged by a Skelton thump. The one real moment of first half quality came from the men in gold. A canny kick had pinned the Lions in with Hugo Keenan forced back over his line and the pressure built from there. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 's presence and poise forced Freeman to bite in; Dylan Pietsch, excellent on the left wing throughout, sprawled into the space left vacant to score. Otherwise, it was total carnage, slipping bodies strewn hither and thither amongst the dropped balls and ruck refuse. Skelton and a returning Taniela Tupou – whose absence from the opening two games was proved peculiar – did plenty of damage for Australia both in the loose with surprisingly nimble hands and feet, and at scrum time, where their combined mass sent Andrew Porter skidding back over a slippery surface. It was curious in a game in which points were to be at a premium that Australia turned down one shot at goal to go to the corner unsuccessfully; they soon corrected their error after a Lions ruck infringement to extend their lead. But close combat was taking a toll on all involved. Itoje trudged to the touchline with blood in his mouth and did not return having failed a head injury assessment, while the same disappointing fate befell Tom Lynagh moments after kicking that penalty – with a clearout from Dan Sheehan on the young playmaker perhaps one for the citing commissioner. Freeman's bad back had healed sufficiently for him to feature but he also did not last the half, nose broken, HIA failed, and the Lions depleted again. It got worse: Ryan took Skelton's knee to the temple and hit the deck. He would not move again until being hoisted on a stretcher. One hopes that he has avoided an injury of real severity beyond the obvious immediate impact. Then, almost mercifully, came the lightning with 43 minutes not yet played. Off went the players still standing, returning only after a mandatory half-an-hour following the strikes and resuming after a 10-minute warm-up. Any thought, though, that the break would focus the Lions minds was quickly allayed. Freeman's injury had meant Huw Jones had moved to the wing with Owen Farrell brought on in midfield, and the Englishman got himself in a muddle with three men outside him after a promising possession. After picking the pocket of the troubled tourists, Max Jorgensen made off with the stolen goods. Australia had let an 18-point advantage slip in Melbourne but 15 here felt mightier given the conditions and circumstances in which it had been built. Jac Morgan ploughed in to get the Lions going, avoiding a first nilling since 1983, but they were soon backed against the wall once more. Replacement hooker Ronan Kelleher was shown yellow; a broken Tom Curry, who had given everything across the series, was helped off to enable Sheehan to return and provide appropriate front row cover. Tate McDermott soon found a way through the Lions' 14 men and though a consolation came through Will Stuart, hopes of a Lions clean sweep had long since been washed away.
The Guardian
9 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Ledecky wins 800m freestyle world title over Pallister and McIntosh in thriller
United States great Katie Ledecky beat Summer McIntosh to win a thrilling 800m freestyle world title in Singapore on Saturday. Ledecky touched the wall in a championship-record 8min 05.62sec, ahead of Australia's Lani Pallister (8:05.98) and Canada's McIntosh (8:07.29). This is a developing story. More to follow.
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wallabies out-play Lions to avoid series whitewash
Australia (8) 22Tries: Pietsch, Jorgensen, McDermott Cons: Donaldson 2 Pens: LynaghBritish and Irish Lions (0) 14Tries: Morgan, Stuart Con: Russell On a foul night of torrential rain and threats of lightning strikes in Sydney that forced play to be suspended for 40 minutes, the Wallabies shocked the British and Irish Lions and won a riotous victory in the third and final Test at Stadium hosts, and underdogs, were dominant for much of a dramatic evening, outscoring the Lions by three tries to two. They led the Sydney slugfest 8-0 through a Dylan Pietsch try and a Tom Lynagh penalty at the end of an intense first Itoje, Tommy Freeman and Australia's Tom Lynagh all failed head injury assessments in a cruelly physical contest played in horrendous exit came after Dan Sheehan appeared to catch him in the head at a breakdown. Three minutes after the restart, James Ryan was knocked unconscious in a distressing incident where his head crashed into the knee of the giant lock, Will Ryan was being treated, a series of fights broke out around him, then play was suspended after lightning was reported locally. Forty-three minutes had been an absence of half an hour both teams were back on the field for a warm-up. Ten minutes later, play resumed and the Wallabies struck again when the Lions gifted possession to wing Max Jorgensen who ran away to score in the Ben Donaldson's conversion made it 15-0 to Australia. Jac Morgan's try and Finn Russell's conversion narrowed it to an eight-point game, but the Wallabies hit back Ronan Kelleher in the sin-bin, Tate McDermott sniped in for the Wallabies' third try. Donaldson converted and a thumping home win was secured. Will Stuart scored in the last act for the Lions. Too little, too late. Line-ups Australia: Wright; Jorgensen, Suaalii, Ikitau, Pietsch; Lynagh, White; Slipper, Pollard, Tupou, Frost, Skelton, Hooper, McReight, Wilson (capt).Replacements: Paenga-Amosa, Bell, Nonggorr, Williams, Gleeson, McDermott, Donaldson, and Irish Lions: Keenan; Freeman, Jones, Aki, Kinghorn; Russell, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje (capt), Ryan, Beirne, Curry, Kelleher, Genge, Stuart, Chessum, Morgan, Earl, Mitchell, Farrell. Match officials Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)Assistant referees: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ), Andrea Piardi (Ita)TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)Foul play review officer: Richard Kelly (NZ) More to follow.
