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9 unusual facts about British and Irish Lions


Charlie van Renen

He made three appearances for South Africa, all against the British Isles, one match during the 1891 tour and two in 1896.

Hector Ó hEochagáin

He also presented two popular satirical documentaries on rugby, Chasing the Lions, a TV3 documentary featuring Après Match star Risteárd Cooper that saw both men follow the British and Irish Lions rugby team on their tour of New Zealand; and Chasing the Blues, following the misfortunes of the Irish rugby team at the World Cup in France.

Jake White

The following week, the All Blacks, fresh off sweeping the British and Irish Lions, came to Newlands in Cape Town, where they had not lost to the Springboks since 1976.

Melbourne Rugby Union Football Club

Three games are recorded as being played that year:- one against a British touring team and two against a New Zealand Natives side.

Rosemary Rogers

After spending three years at the University of Ceylon, Rogers became a reporter, and soon married Summa Navaratnam, a Ceylonese rugby player and track star (who played for Ceylon against the 1950 British Lions and who was known as "the fastest man in Asia").

Sport Mastermind

The first champion and Sport Mastermind 2008 was Chris Bell from Kent, who took The British and Irish Lions as his specialist subject in his heat and The Life and Career of Geoff Boycott in the Grand Final.

Thomas Pink

In 2012, Thomas Pink was appointed official outfitter for The British and Irish Lions Tour to Australia 2013.

William George Garrard

Garrard was honorary secretary to the Canterbury Rugby Football Union and in 1899 he officiated his first international rugby match when he refereed the First Test between Australia and the British Isles during the teams 1899 tour.

Wynford Dore

Dynevor’s management included the former Wales and British Lions rugby player Scott Quinnell.


Andrew Stoddart

In 1888, with fellow cricketers Alfred Shaw and Arthur Shrewsbury he helped organise what became recognised as the first British Lions rugby union tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1888.

Andy Mulligan

Andrew (Andy) Armstrong Mulligan, (4 February 1936, Kasauli, a small cantonment town in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh – 24 February 2001) was a rugby union international who captained Ireland and the British & Irish Lions, playing at scrum-half.

Bryn Williams

Cardiff Blues, Wales and British and Irish Lions rugby player Martyn Williams appointed Bryn as one of the 7 Patrons of his Spirit of Wales testimonial year in 2010, to help raise money for vulnerable children and cancer victims.

Darlington RFC

Two of the club's most famous past players include Rob Wainwright (ex Scotland and British Lions) and England centre Mathew Tait who spent a brief time in the club's youth teams.

Gavin Hastings

He has played for Watsonians, London Scottish, Cambridge University, Scotland and the British and Irish Lions and was one of the outstanding rugby union players of his generation, winning 61 caps for Scotland, 20 of which as captain.

John Diggle

His son, Percy Robert Diggle, was a rugby union international, representing the Combined British on the 1910 RFU tour to Argentina, an early incarnation of the British and Irish Lions.

Lynn Howells

Howells was assistant coach to the Wales national rugby union team under Graham Henry during the 1999 Rugby World Cup and took over as caretaker head coach for the 2001 Wales tour to Japan whilst Henry was touring as coach of the British and Irish Lions.

Marlow Rugby Union Football Club

The 50th Anniversary October 1997 dinner with attendance by guests such as Peter Brooks (President of the RFU) Will Carling (Former England skipper and British Lions) and former Marlow player Paul Burnell (Scotland and British Lions) was a further example of the esteem Marlow is held in Rugby

Peter Winterbottom

He was selected on two British and Irish Lions tours in 1983 and 1993, both to New Zealand, where he impressed the locals with his fine play, albeit on losing sides.

Robert Challoner

Robert attended Warwick School, and in fact was in the same school rugby side as Sidney Nelson Crowther, the first Old Warwickian to gain international honours for Great Britain.

Solomon Mhlaba

In 1980 he played against the touring Lions team twice, once with the Barbarians, and once as member of the South African Country Districts XV.

Sydney Pyman Bell

Bell played club rugby for Cambridge University and Northern and played international rugby for the British Isles XV in their 1896 tour of South Africa.

W. P. C. Davies

William Philip ("Phil") Cathcart Davies (born 6 August 1928), played rugby union at centre for Evesham RUFC, Cheltenham RUFC, Cambridge University, Harlequins, England and the British Lions (South Africa 1955).

Zimbabwe national rugby union team

A British Lions team played a side called Southern Rhodesia on 30 July in 1910 in Bulawayo, the British saw victory, beating the team 24 points to 11.


see also

Glengarth Sevens

Famous memories include legendary British and Irish Lions Captain, Willie John McBride running onto the Davenport 1st XV pitch with a lion cub from Longleat.

Southern Kings

! colspan=11 "?title=Rayno Benjamin">Rayno Benjamin, Kevin Buys, Michael Coetzee, Henry Grimes, Sivuyile Kobokana, Heinrich Stride, Michael Vermaak, Elgar Watts, Simon Westraadt and Gareth Wright were named in the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour squad, but not in the matchday 22.

Tom French Cup

Carl Hayman was awarded the Tom French Cup in both 2004 and 2006, and was instrumental in helping New Zealand Māori defeat the British and Irish Lions for the first time in 2005.