27-06-2025
75 years of Lions history — told by those who made it
I n a short news story published on February 12, 1950, The Times reported that 'a notable change' had been made to the colours for the forthcoming British Isles tour to New Zealand and Australia, the first since the war and the last that any team would embark upon by boat.
Instead of dark blue jerseys, white shorts and red stockings, as in the South Africa tour in 1938, and that in New Zealand in 1930, the colours will be reversed. That is to say the jerseys will be red, the shorts white and the stockings dark blue. This change will meet the wishes of New Zealand who, very understandably, had no desire to shed their famous All Black jersey.
The 1950 squad, captained by Karl Mullen, were away for six months. They played 30 fixtures, including a stop in Colombo on the way home for a match against Ceylon, and were heralded for their attractive rugby.
