THE BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS IN AUSTRALIA
Who are the Lions?
The British and Irish Lions, as their name indicates, are an elite selection of the finest players from the Four Home Unions England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The Lions tour only every four years and on a rotational format to Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Therefore, they visit Australia only once every 12 years.
The first official tour by a British Isles Rugby Union Team, selected by a committee from all four Home Unions and therefore recognised as the Lions, was to South Africa in 1910.
However, there had been combined British and Irish teams heading below the equator as early as 1888.
There were six of these visits prior to 1910 including two to Australia in 1899 and 1904 but only one of them included players from all four Home Nations.
The Lions continue to grow in popularity. In 2001 there were almost 10,000 supporters travelling to Australia on official tour packages alone, without counting those who made their own way Down Under.
In 2005 in New Zealand the estimate on fans making the trek from the northern hemisphere was 30,000, increasing to a reported 40,000 following the Lions to South Africa in 2009.
The Trophy
The Tom Richards Trophy will be awarded to the winner of the 2013 series between the Qantas Wallabies and the Lions.
The trophy has been competed for on just one previous occasion.
It was commissioned for the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, with the Wallabies the inaugural winners after taking the three-Test series 2-1.
This was the first time the Wallabies had beaten the Lions in a series.
The man the trophy was named after Tom Richards remains the only player in history to have represented both the Wallabies and Lions.
A Gallipoli war hero who also campaigned in France and was awarded the Military Cross, Richards was a Rugby player of rare talent and career achievement.
He was part of the First Wallabies tour to Europe in 1908, during which the Australians entered the London Olympic Games and won the gold medal for Rugby.
In 1910, he was living in South Africa and was called up to represent the Lions against the Springboks, qualifying for selection because he had previously played for Bristol in England.
Returning to Australia, he was also selected in the Wallabies tour to the US and Canada in 1912.
The Times of London said of Richard in 1908: He would be the first man to be picked for Earth if we were ever to play Mars!"
Lions Tours to Australia
1899 (Not an official Lions Tour)
1st Test - Australia 13 Britain 3 (24 June, Sydney)
2nd Test Britain 11 Australia 0 (22 July, Brisbane)
3rd Test Britain 11 Australia 10 (5 August, Sydney)
4th Test Britain 13 Australia 0 (12 August, Sydney)
1904 (Not an official Lions Tour)
1st Test Britain 17 Australia 0 (2July, Sydney)
2nd Test Britain 17 Australia 3 (23 July, Brisbane)
3rd Test Britain 16 Australia 0 (30 July, Sydney)
1930
1st Test Australia 6 British and Irish Lions 5 (30 August, Sydney)
1950
1st Test British and Irish Lions 19 Australia 6 (19 August, Brisbane)
2nd Test British and Irish Lions 24 Australia 3 (26 August, Sydney)
1959
1st Test British and Irish Lions 17 Australia 6 (6 June, Brisbane)
2nd Test British and Irish Lions 24 Australia 3 (13 June, Sydney)
1966
1st Test British and Irish Lions 11 Australia 8 (28 May, Sydney)
2nd Test British and Irish Lions 31 Australia 0 (4 June, Brisbane)
1989
1st Test Wallabies 30 British and Irish Lions 12 (30 May, Sydney)
2nd Test British and Irish Lions 19 Wallabies 12 (8 July, Brisbane)
3rd Test British and Irish Lions 19 Wallabies 18 (15 July, Sydney)
2001
1st Test British and Irish Lions 29 Wallabies 13 (30 June, Brisbane)
2nd Test Wallabies 35 British and Irish Lions 14 (7 July, Melbourne)
3rd Test Wallabies 29 British and Irish Lions 23 (14 July, Sydney)
TOTAL MATCHES (excluding 1899 and 1904): 13
MATCHES WON BY WALLABIES: 4
MATCHES WON BY BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS: 9
