Inside the four greatest ever Lions tours as The King shines and Brits go invincible

Every player representing The British & Irish Lions in Australia this summer knows they are standing on the shoulders of the giants who have gone before. Some tours are, by their nature, more memorable than others - and these particular summers are still fondly recalled by the misty-eyed rugby lovers who remember them...

1971 - The Prince becomes the King

No Lions side had ever conquered New Zealand before 1971 - and no Lions side has done so since. That makes the achievements of the 1971 crop all the more treasured, particularly so given this will be the first tour since the passing of three of the squad's key members - JPR Williams and Barry John, who died within weeks of each other in early 2024, and David Duckham.

This was the tour that proved the making of fly-half John, who was dubbed 'The King' by the suitably impressed Kiwi press pack. His 188 points across the tour remains a record, with his tactical kicking - and two successful penalties - key in a cagey first Test which ended 9-3 in the Lions' favour.

After the All Blacks levelled it up in the second, Welsh wizard John delivered a virtuoso display in the third.

He contributed a try, two conversions and a drop goal to the 13-3 victory while it was his compatriot Williams who held his nerve in the fourth Test, nailing an iconic 45-metre drop goal to help the Lions secure a 14-14 draw and hold on for a series win.

It was the only drop goal of Williams' career - and one he saw coming. "It was the end of a long Tour and at that stage a lot of the guys were a little homesick," he later recalled. "On the bus going to the game I thought I would try to make them all laugh. I said I would drop a goal. Obviously no-one believed me.

"I had been practising with Bob Hiller and Barry John and when the drop goal came we were going backwards at the time. David Duckham passed the ball to Barry, he gave it to me and I just hit it. As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going over."

1974 - The Invincibles

Three years later, the Lions went to South Africa and won 21 of their 22 matches, drawing the other, to etch their names into the history books as invincibles.

It was a particularly brutal tour which included the infamous '99 call', a 'one in, all in' response to perceived Springbok ill-discipline which meant all the Lions players had to pile in during flashpoint moments.

The tourists won the first Test 12-3 and followed up with a 28-9 win in the second, JJ Williams scoring twice.

The Welsh winger, who died in 2020, repeated the feat in a third Test later known as the 'Battle of Boet Erasmus Stadium', with Lions centre Dick Milliken saying he had 'never experienced such intensity on a rugby pitch'.

At one stage, the game was halted while officials and players from both sides clawed through the mud to find Johan de Bruyn's glass eye, while captain Willie John McBride was carried off on the shoulders of his players after a 26-9 victory was sealed.

There was even time for more controversy in the fourth Test, which was drawn 13-13. Fergus Slattery thought he had crossed for a last-minute score which would have sealed a series whitewash but the referee adjudged the ball had been held up.

Bobby Windsor later told The Guardian: "When we spoke to the referee afterwards he said, 'Look boys, I have to live here.' Fair enough, I suppose."

1989 - The Comeback Kids

The British & Irish Lions travelled to Australia in 1989 seeking a first series victory in 15 years - and called on two men with first-hand experience of Lions success to mastermind the tour.

Head coach Ian McGeechan and assistant Roger Uttley joined forces once again, having both played all four Tests against the Springboks on the Invincibles tour.

Alongside them was manager Clive Rowlands, who had coached Wales during their second Golden Age in the 1970s and took charge of the Lions in their one-off game against 'The Rest' in 1986.

The Lions started well, winning all eight of their non-Test fixtures, but they were convincingly beaten in the first international in Sydney.

McGeechan's men were on the wrong end of a 30-12 hammering as an Australia side featuring the likes of David Campese, Nick Farr-Jones and Michael Lynagh showed the quality that would see the Wallabies crowned world champions two years later.

But that defeat only spurred the Lions on to create history of their own. Mike Teague came in at blindside and was later named player of the series, while Rob Andrew stepped in at fly-half and Jeremy Guscott formed a fine midfield partnership with Gavin Hastings.

The second-Test win in Brisbane - commonly referred to as the 'Battle of Ballymore' - will live long in the memory for its sheer ferocity, while the third-Test triumph back in Sydney has few rivals for sheer drama.

With the series tied at one-apiece and the Wallabies holding a narrow lead early in the second half, Campese experienced a moment of madness.

One of the game's most-instinctive players, the Wallaby wing wonder attempted to run the ball out from behind his own tryline before throwing a speculative pass to Greig Martin.

The Australian full-back could get nowhere the ball and Ieuan Evans pounced to score what would be the match, and series, winning try.

1997 - Living With Lions

The first Lions of the professional age saw the tourists travel to World Cup winners South Africa for the first time since 1980.

McGeechan coached the side for an unprecedented third time, with Martin Johnson becoming the first English captain of the Lions since Bill Beaumont.

The build-up to the first Test is famous for Jim Telfer's 'Everest' speech to the forwards - described by Lawrence Dallaglio and Keith Wood as the finest they ever heard during their distinguished careers - and late tries from Matt Dawson and Alan Tait sealed a 25-16 win for the tourists.

Jeremy Guscott's famous drop goal sealed an 18-15 victory in the second Test in Durban, opening up an unassailable series lead and ensuring the Springboks' 35-16 success in the final match was mere consolation.

This tour proved something of a rebirth for the Lions. Going into it, critics were already beginning to suggest that the world's greatest touring team would soon become irrelevant now that amateur status was a thing of the past.

Instead, it took on a fresh relevance and ensured the organisation moved into the 21st century buoyed by renewed interest from players and fans alike - helped by the impact of the documentary which followed, Living With Lions, which documented moments like Telfer's speech and gave the masses a never before seen insight.

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