The Lions History - Part 2

Era of the Lions

After the Second World War, and a break of 12 years, the 1950s was the decade that would re-ignite the popularity of Lions tours, if not re-ignite Home Union success.

The lean years for the Home Unions continuted with the Lions failing to win any of their three Test series during the decade. The 1955 team did come close to beating a 65 year Springboks stranglehold on British Isles touring teams, but eventual went down 3-1 in a close run series.

 If the 1950s proved to be a false dawn then the 1960s was a downright disaster. In fact the Lions did not win a Test match against New Zealand or South Africa in the 12 matches played against them throughout the decade.

The 1966 tourists ended with the unenviable record of having the worst results ever recorded by a British Isles touring team in New Zealand. Those Lions lost four Test matches in a series for the first time, three of them by sizeable margins.

However, the early 1970s were to prove a welcome respite to the beleaguered Lions and their success bred the tremendous tradition of Lions rugby that exists to this day.

In 1971 a team led by Wales' John Dawes beat the All Blacks in an exciting Test series and were famed for their fabulous back division. The King of the tour was undoubtedly the irrepressible Welsh stand-off Barry John, who was paired at half-back by his compatriot, the youthful Gareth Edwards.

John emerged on the tour as an excellent goal kicker, scoring 170 points in total and was catalyst behind the series win. Remarkably, John scored in every game he played on tour and inspired the Lions to a close fought series win over the All Blacks by two Tests to one, with another being drawn. Thus they become the first British Isles touring team to win a major series abroad in the twentieth century.

Three years later it was the turn of Willie John McBride to lead his Lions on an unbeaten tour of South Africa, then the unofficial rugby world champions. It became the most successful Lions tour of all time and would cement the side forever in rugby folklore.

The side went on a stunning 21-match winning run, scoring 729 points and returning home unbeaten. The most successful Lions tourists ever won consecutive matches until the Fourth and final Test when they secured a creditable draw.

Their 107 tries on tour will surely never be beaten and a 97-0 win over South Western Districts was the biggest by any touring team ever in South Africa. Skipper Willie John McBride was enjoying his fifth consecutive Lions tour and gained revenge for his lost Test series to the Springboks in 1962 and 1968.

Mervyn Davies, Fergus Slattery and Roger Uttley formed a formidable back-row unit with McBride and the now sadly departed Gordon Brown at lock. The front row of Ian McLauchlan, Bobby Windsor and Fran Cotton completed probably the greatest, and most feared, Lions forward role call of all-time. But the key man in the side was undoubtedly the diminutive Phil Bennett at fly-half, a man whose bravery in the face of intimidation by the opposition was remarkable. The Llanelli and Wales No.10 was at the very peak of his form during the tour and showed breathtaking skills with both ball in hand and through his tactical kicking.

After such a level of success, there was only one way the next tour to New Zealand in 1977 could go, and that was downhill. Known as the 'Bad News Tour', the Lions lost only five of the 26 games of the tour, but Phil Bennett's team were whitewashed 3-0 in the Test series by the All Blacks.

Three years later, with the tour shortened into 18 games over a 10 week period, Bill Beaumont led his side on a controversial tour to South Africa. The Lions were stricken by a series of injuries early on and never really recovered, and were defeated 3-1 in the series claiming a narrow 17-13 victory in the final game of the tour.

In 1983, six years after the 1977 experience, the Lions returned to New Zealand, with 1974 hero Willie John McBride as manager and Ireland's Ciaran Fitzgerald at captain. However, the results of the tour mirrored the decline of northern hemisphere rugby in the early 1980s and the Lions were subsequently beaten in all four Tests just like the team seventeen years previously.

With the proposed tour to South Africa in 1986 cancelled due to apartheid, the Lions appeared for only the second ever time on British soil to commemorate the centenary of the International Rugby Board. The Lions faced a team drawn from the rest of the International Board Unions and promptly lost 15-7.

Then, after a touring gap of six years, the 1989 Lions became the first team to visit Australia on a full-blown tour since Rev Mullineux's side in 1899. A new-style Lions tour meant the schedule was reduced to just 12 games and after losing the opening Test in Sydney, the team became the first Lions side to ever bounce back from a first Test defeat to claim the series.

The tour was not without acrimony though, especially after the Second Test in Brisbane when the Lions battled and brawled their way to a 19-12 victory to restore parity in the Test series. Crucially, in the third and deciding Test, Welsh wing Ieuan Evans pounced on a loose pass from Wallaby counterpart David Campese to score a vital try that enabled the Lions to snatch a historic 19-18 victory and take the Test series by the narrowest of margins.

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