As part of their tour of Australia in 2001 the Lions tuned up against the New South Wales Waratahs in a match that is remembered more for its violence than for the Lions’ victory. The referee on the day remarked that he had to show a yellow card to NSW in the first minute, and “it went downhill from there.” At the end of the day there were five yellow cards and one red card given (that for NSW fullback McRae’s vicious attack on Ronan O’Gara). The Lions prevailed with a 17-point victory and a trip to the hospital for several of the lads:

The Lions tour of Australia in 1989 was a spectacularly successful one, losing only the first test against the hosts and coming back to win the series 2 – 1. Some of the greatest names in British rugby were part of that squad: Sole, Calder, Ackford, Andrew, Evans, Hastings… And of course, this match featured Campese’s biggest blunder ever, one that surely cost Australia the match and the series.

In some 118 days the 2009 British & Irish Lions Tour of South Africa kicks off. The Lions will play 10 matches in all, including three against 2007 Rugby World Cup holders South Africa and one against the Emerging Springboks.

The first official tour by the British Isles Rugby Union Team, selected by a committee from all four Home Unions, was to South Africa in 1910. The Lions name was coined during the inter-war period, when the emblem on the players’ jersey and lapel badges gave them their alternative title. Even in the age of professional rugby, the 2005 Tour to New Zealand proved to be a huge success with a reported 30,000 fans traveling to support the team. It is expected that the 2009 Tour will be even bigger.

Over the years, some legends of the game have been selected to represent the Lions. The likes of Phil Bennett, Andy Irvine, JPR Williams, Gavin Hastings and Keith Wood have worn the coveted red jersey.