British and Irish Lions: Player by Player

By Liam McCann

The British and Irish Lions were formed in 1888 before a tour to Australia and New Zealand. It was a mainly English squad and it wasn t until 1899 that the party had players from all four home nations. The 1910 tour to South Africa marked the official beginning for the Lions, although they would be known as the British Isles until 1924. The 1950s was a glittering decade and the side won the majority of their games. They weren't as successful during 1960s, but the 1970s saw a return to form with scintillating but brutal tours to South Africa in 1974 and New Zealand in 1977.

• Language: English
• Publisher: G2 Rights
• Release date: Aug 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781782815075

Book preview

Ackford

England team-mate Jeremy Guscott said that former police officer Paul Ackford was the best lock he’d ever played with. Ackford was a late developer and only made it into the full England team at the age of 30, a decade after playing for the England B side while still at Cambridge. At 6’7" he was a formidable presence in the scrum and lineout, and his handling skills and big-match temperament made him an asset to any side.

Paul Ackford #4 of the British Lions wrestles with Tim Gavin of the Anzacs

When he finally broke into the England team in 1988, he formed a formidable partnership with fellow policeman Wade Dooley. They were both selected for the 1989 Lions tour of Australia, where, along with Mike Teague, they helped pick the Lions up after defeat in the first Test and then drove the forwards to victory in the last two Tests to seal the series win.

Ackford will also be remembered for being knocked out by 18-year-old Argentinean prop Federico Mendez at Twickenham in 1990. Mendez had been stamped on in a ruck by Jeff Probyn but he misidentified the culprit and caught Ackford with a disgraceful blindside shot, for which he was dismissed.

Ackford’s consistency and commitment made him an England regular for the next two seasons and he played a central role in their 1991 Grand Slam. His international career came to an end following England’s 12-6 defeat to Australia in the 1991 World Cup final, although serial England-baiter David Campese paid him the ultimate compliment when he said: This guy was tough and durable, a real workhorse in the pack. It’s a shame he was a Pom and not an Aussie.

Ackford now has a column in the Sunday Telegraph.

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Name: Paul John Ackford

Born: 26th February 1958, Hanover, West Germany

Home Union: England

Position: Lock

Height / Weight: 6’7" (2.00m) / 250lbs (112kg)

Lions Tours: Australia (1989)

Number of Tests: 3

Points: 0

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Andrew

One of England’s greatest fly-halves, Rob Andrew was a master tactician and formidable kicker, which helped him become one of his country’s highest scorers. He only became England’s dead-ball specialist in 1994, however, but he immediately upped his average from three points a game to 15.

Rob Andrew

Although a talented cricketer who captained Cambridge University and scored a century against Nottinghamshire in 1984, he made his oval-ball debut for England against Romania in 1985 and scored 18 of England’s 22 points. He was inconsistent for the next few seasons but by 1989 he was the first-choice fly-half and earned a late call-up for the Lions tour to Australia.

In 1993 he claimed the No.10 shirt for the tour of New Zealand but, despite winning the second Test to level the series, the Lions couldn’t compete with the Kiwis in their own backyard and lost the deciding rubber.

Under Will Carling, Andrew became a Grand Slam winner three times – in 1991, 1992 and 1995 – as well as making it to the final of the 1991 World Cup, although England narrowly lost to Australia. He had his revenge in 1995, however, when his last-gasp drop-goal put out the defending champions after an epic quarterfinal. The side was eventually put to the sword by a Jonah Lomu-inspired New Zealand in the semis and finished fourth overall.

Andrew received a lot of criticism for kicking too much but this was one of English rugby’s most successful periods and he was working behind one of the most destructive packs in the game. He scored more than 20 points in a game seven times and became the first Englishman to complete a personal grand slam when scoring a try, drop goal, five penalties and two conversions against South Africa in 1994.

When the game turned professional in 1995, he left Wasps and became player and director of rugby at Newcastle Falcons. Here he oversaw the development of many young players, most notably Jonny Wilkinson. In the 1997-98 season Andrew led the Falcons to the premiership title and two English Cup victories.

In 2006 he became the RFU’s Elite Rugby Director. His first job was to sack England coach Andy Robinson in favour of Brian Ashton.

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Name: Christopher Robert ‘Rob’ Andrew, MBE

Born: 18th February 1963, Richmond, Yorkshire

Home Union: England

Position: Fly-half

Height / Weight: 5’9" (1.75m) / 180lbs (82kg)

Lions Tours: Australia (1989), New Zealand (1993)

Number of Tests: 5

Points: 11

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Back

Amaster of controlling the ball in a rolling maul, a defensive guru, and another pivotal player in the World Cup-winning team of 2003, Neil Back almost didn’t measure up to the job. They say size doesn’t matter but for years Back was considered too small for international rugby. He’d tried to cut it as a scrum-half but then decided to follow in the footsteps of hero JeanPierre Rives and make it as a top-drawer flanker.

His hard work and sheer bloody-mindedness paid off and he made his England debut against Scotland in 1994. Two years later he showed his fiery side when he pushed over referee Steve Lander after the Pilkington Cup final and earned himself a six-month ban. In 2002, Leicester were in danger of losing to Munster in the Heineken Cup when Back swatted the ball from Peter Stringer’s hand before a scrum in the dying minutes deep in the Leicester 22. The referee and officials missed the incident, and Leicester cleared their lines and eventually won 15-9.

He bounced back from this low point and his ferocious tackling and unrivalled fitness earned him a call-up to the Lions squad to tour South Africa in 1997 (and an RFU player-of-the-year nomination in 1998). He came on in the decisive second Test at King’s Park in Durban and helped the Lions to the unlikeliest of series wins against the then world champions.

Back, Dallaglio and Richard Hill then formed the most-capped back row in the history of the game and they drove the England side to new heights. Between 1999 and 2002, he also enjoyed phenomenal success with club Leicester, winning four successive Zurich Premiership titles and ending 1999 as the club’s top try scorer with 16. His form saw him called up for the 2001 Lions tour to Australia and he duly delivered, scoring a try in the second Test. Sadly the team could not build on a big win in the first game and they eventually lost the series 2-1.

Back famously vowed never to retire from international rugby and he was an integral part of the 2003 England side that won the World Cup in Australia. He did finally retire from the national set-up after the 2004 Six Nations however but, at 36, he was a surprise inclusion in the squad for the 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand but the side didn’t perform and his international career came to an end.

There’s no doubt that Back helped rewrite the way an open-side flanker should play and he brought a fitness and energy to sides that has since become the norm. He enjoyed a brief stint as Leicester’s defensive coach before joining National League Three side Rugby Lions.

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Name: Neil Antony Back, MBE

Born: 16th January 1969, Coventry

Home Union: England

Position: Flanker

Height / Weight: 5’10" (1.78m) / 210lbs (93kg)

Lions Tours: South Africa (1997), Australia (2001), New Zealand (2005)

Number of Tests: 5

Points: 5

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Neil Back (right) and Martin Johnson of the British and Irish Lions combine to tackle Toutai Kefu of Australia

Bassett

Bassett’s rugby career began with Kenfig Hill and Pyle but, having joined the police, he played for the Constabulary and Penarth. In 1928, the national selectors were looking for a dependable full-back and Bassett was chosen to represent his country after a one-off game against Newport.

John Bassett, Wales Captain

He earned his first international cap against England the following year, and by 1930 he’d been appointed captain of Wales. He enjoyed a great start to the 1930 Five Nations and single-handedly saved his side against Ireland. He would have taken the field against the French but he’d already been called up for the British Lions and was on his way to Australia.

He had an exceptional tour, outplaying local favourite George Nepia in the tourists’ four matches against New Zealand, and was immediately proclaimed the best full-back in world rugby. He played in five Test matches on the tour and his powerful defence often turned ball over for the Lions to use in attack. When he returned home he immediately guided Wales to their first home nations’ championship in a