The British and Irish Lions (formerly British Isles and then the British Lions) are a Rugby Union side comprising the pick of the best players from the four Home nation unions, i.e. England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. As such, they do not have a national anthem. The Lions are exclusively a touring team, and play the traditionally strong southern hemisphere teams of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
In a break with tradition, a first 'home' fixture against Argentina will be played at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on May 23, 2005, before the Lions go to New Zealand.
Playing for the Lions is considered the highest honour in the game for British and Irish players, higher even than playing for your country. It is also a huge occasion for those who play against the Lions since they only get once chance to play against them every twelve years.
On tour there are midweek games against local clubs as well as the full tests against the host's national team. There is always tension between those selected for the tests and those who turn out only for the midweek games.
Name
The team was originally known as the 'British Isles', this being the term often used for the archipelago of which Great Britain and Ireland form a part. On the 1950 tour of Australia they adopted the name the 'British Lions' after the lion emblem on their jerseys. In recent years they have been known as the 'British and Irish Lions' out of respect for the players from Ireland. Some criticised this change as unnecessary political correctness. The team are often called simply the 'Lions'.
Overview
Postwar tours and captains
Coaches
Other famous Lions
See also
External links
