To coincide with this year’s British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, a panel of rugby experts from rugby website, RugbyPass, has chosen the 25 most iconic Lions moments of the professional era – covering many triumphs, tries and heartbreaks from the legendary side’s previous Tours.
Chosen by Bryn Palmer, Jamie Lyall, Neil Squires, Owain Jones and Pat McCarry, this expert panel has chosen the list exclusively from iconic Lions Tour moments from the professional era (1997 onwards).
Taking top spot as the most iconic moment is Jeremy Guscott’s famous drop goal to seal a memorable Tour win against the Springboks in 1997 in Durban, and secure an unassailable 2-0 lead ahead of the third and final Test. Guscott himself once recalled the moment: “I prayed it wouldn’t miss or be charged down. The sense of elation I felt when I eventually looked up and saw the ball soar between the posts will stay with me forever.”
In second place is Wales legend George North’s stunning solo try to seal a Lions victory in the first Test in the side’s previous successful Tour to Australia in 2013. Then aged just 21, North spotted a gap in the Australian defence when returning a kick, side-stepping the fullback before eventually scoring in the corner.
Brian O’Driscoll’s memorable try in the first Test of the 2001 Australian Tour is the moment chosen in third place. The legendary Irish centre is one of only four players to have been selected on four Lions Tours and announced himself on his first Tour with some of his trademark magic.
In fourth place is another moment from the victorious 1997 Lions Tour to South Africa, assistant coach Jim Telfer’s ‘This is your Everest’ speech. Delivered ahead of the first Test, which would be the first of two wins against the then reigning world champions, the Springboks. Rounding off the top five moments is a memorable try from the first Test of the 2017 drawn tour to New Zealand, scored by Sean O’Brien but made by Welsh centre, Liam Williams, who was instrumental in the build-up, placing passes and the killer final offload for O’Brien to score.
Another outstanding try makes the sixth spot on the list, England legend and Rugby World Cup 2003 winner, Jason Robinson’s opening score on the 2001 Tour in the first test in Brisbane. Heartbreak on the 2009 Tour to South Africa takes seventh place, while in eighth is another 1997 Tour moment, scrum half Matt Dawson’s dummy to bamboozle the Springbok defence for him so score in the corner and win the Tour’s first Test,
In ninth place is another George North moment from the second Test of the winning 2013 Australia Lions Tour. Despite losing the game by a single point, North became the talking point with his incredible fireman’s lift on the 6’ 5” Israel Folau. Rounding off the top ten is another try from the 1997 South Africa Tour, this time with John Bentley’s length of the field score against Gauteng. Neil Squires, a judge on the RugbyPass panel, said: “It was a fabulous individual try, but the context was everything, helping to put what would go down as one of the great Tours back on course.”
The rest of the listings also feature an array of standout moments from Tours of yesteryear. A few examples include number 11, another moment from the 1997 South African Tour, with prop Scott Gibbs’ trampling of 6ft 3in, 21-stone Springboks behemoth, Os ‘The Ox’ du Randt.
The 2013 Australia Tour features again at number 14 with the writers selecting Welsh legend Jamie Roberts’ try to seal victory in the third Test following much furore after coach Warren Gatland’s selection policy, which ultimately proved him correct.
Commenting on his now-famous Test-clinching try, Roberts said: “I’ve run that line thousands of times during my career, either to out teams on the front foot or turn defenders to create space. For it to come off like that on the biggest stage of all felt somewhat like fate.
“The public discourse around selection certainly put added pressure on Jon and I as a partnership and so for us to deliver when it mattered most was particularly special. I got subbed after that for Manu and got to enjoy my last 1o minutes in a Lions jersey. It’s a special rugby moment and memory that will last a lifetime.”
While the list of 25 iconic moments presents some truly magical moments in Lions history, the selection process from RugbyPass’ journalists was certainly food for thought for the panel. Seasoned sports journalist and contributor to the list, Neil Squires, offered these comments when reflecting on the listings:
“Assembling the 25 top Lions moments was a pleasure, but also a challenge. Even restricting ourselves to the professional era and seven Tours left us having to make some difficult calls on what to leave out.
“Moments are magnified on a Lions tour, whether that is glorious tries, thumping tackles, contentious selections or even sweet-talking referees, and to distil the most significant takes some debate – but we’re happy with what we’ve come up with. Not everyone will agree, of course…”
The full list of RugbyPass’ most iconic Lions Tour moments can be viewed here:
https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/25-iconic-british-and-irish-lions-moments-of-the-professional-era-25-21/
https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/25-iconic-lions-moments-of-the-professional-era-20-16/
https://www.rugbypass.com/news/25-iconic-lions-moments-of-the-professional-era-15-11/
https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/iconic-lions-moments-of-the-professional-era-10-6/
https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/iconic-lions-moments-of-the-professional-era-5-1/
