As we tee up for the Lions’ Australia tour this summer, there’s no better way to prepare ourselves than taking a look back at some previous Lions’ tours over the years.
From the jaw-dropping, the show-stopping, the heartfelt, to the downright brutal, here’s a glance back at some of the best of the Lions over the decades.
Origins
The first ever Lions tour takes us all the way back to 1888, when captain Robert Seddon led a party of 22 young men to New Zealand and Australia for a 249-day tour. The team was made up of mainly English players, as well as a few Welshmen, Scots, and an Irishman. After a 46-day voyage, the team landed in Port Chalmers, New Zealand.
The tour was a remarkable success – the Lions won 27 out of 35 matches. The team also tried their hand at Australian rules football, playing 19 games against prominent clubs in Victoria and South Australia.
Despite being an unofficial tour, unsanctioned by rugby bodies, it pioneered the concept of Northern Hemisphere sports teams touring the Southern Hemisphere. And, given its unofficial status, the players were reportedly paid in tobacco and food!
On the original 1888 tour, Lion no.4, Scotsman Bob Burnet’s, great great grandson now works for Howden!
Did you know…?
- Each Lion is given a number, so the first Lions to be selected for the first tour is #1 and so on. There have been 855 Lions so far, the latest on the 2021 tour being England’s Marcus Smith.
- The match in Dublin v Argentina held the night before the Lions head on tour, is called The 1888 Cup, named after the year of the very first Lions tour.
- There can be over 20,000 supporters travelling with the official Lions tour party and due to them all wearing Lions shirts, they’re known as ‘The Sea of Red’.
Get involved in the excitement at Howden!
There’s set to be many more memorable moments this summer as The British & Irish Lions take on Australia, so why not join in the fun with your local Howden branch? We’re working with clubs across the country to celebrate, so check out what your branch is up to here.
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This is a marketing blog by Howden Insurance.