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The British and Irish Lions have made 11 tours of New Zealand and always won their opening match. On June 3 at Toll Stadium in Whangarei the 2017 Lions will start their ten-fixture tour of New Zealand with a clash against a Barbarians selection.
It’s the second time the far North has hosted the tour opener. In May 1993 the Lions beat North Auckland by 30-17 in their first appearance in this country that year.
There have been some memorable starts to tours. Here are five of the best.
1888: v Otago – Won: 8-3
Great Britain was the first official Lions team to tour New Zealand in 1888. The team departed Liverpool on March ten aboard the Kaikoura and arrived in Port Chalmers on April 22.
After a week’s training the first match played in New Zealand was on April 28 at the Caledonian Ground in Dunedin against Otago.
Scoring values were one point for a try, two for a conversion and three for any other goal.
Local hero Paddy Keogh was unable to play, but Otago fielded a strong team with four South Island representatives, including Tom Lynch who had a son and grandson who were All Blacks.
Otago started strongly and led 3-1 at halftime. Otago captain Edward Morrison kicked a drop goal for Otago. He later became a farmer in Scotland.
Tom Kent from Nottingham scored the first try by a Lion in New Zealand. He played for England in 1892 when they won the Triple Crown without conceding a point.
Jack Anderson reduced the deficit to 3-2 with a second try before Harry Speakman from England kicked two drop goals to settle the contest. Speakman later played for Poneke and settled in Australia.
William Wyinks, an Otago rugby and cricket representative, was the referee.
Great Britain played Otago twice more and won the second game 4-3, but were held to a 0-0 draw in the last contest.
On the field Great Britain, who also toured Australia, fashioned a decent record of 27 wins in 35 matches. However off the field the tour was a tragedy. Captain Bob Seddon died in a sculling accident in Australia and the trip left the entrepreneurial organisers £600 pounds or $136,000 in today’s money in debt. The drinks bill alone cost over $15,000.
Tour organiser Arthur Shrewsbury committed suicide in 1903 and Andrew Stoddart team manager and later captain did so in 1915.
Angus Stewart remained behind and played for Wellington and Marlborough and toured with New Zealand to Australia in 1893, the first national rugby team to represent New Zealand internationally.
1908 v Wairarapa-Bush – Won: 17-3
The population of Masterton was only 4000 people in 1908, but some 6000 spectators turned up to witness the opening match of the Anglo Welsh tour in fine conditions on May 23.
The Anglo Welsh were always expected to win and did so by scoring five tries to nil. The star of the match was Welshman Reggie Gibbs who scored two tries.
When Gibbs retired in 1911 he had scored 17 tries for Wales, establishing a Welsh record which stood until Gareth Edwards broke it in 1976.
Wairarapa didn’t completely disgrace themselves and had some prominent personalities in their roster. Fullback Joe O’Leary led the All Blacks against Australia in 1913. Bert McKenzie later became an international referee and Kiltie Smith became president of the NZRFU.
Two Anglo Welsh players migrated to New Zealand following the tour. Captain Arthur Harding was a station-master in Greymouth for several years and vice-captain Pat McEvedy became president of the NZRFU and is honoured in the McEvedy Shield Wellington Secondary Schools athletics competition.
1959 v Hawke’s Bay – Won: 52-12
The 1959 Lions were immensely popular tourists dazzling Kiwis with their ambitious and expansive approach. The 59’ers hit the ground running at MacLean Park in Napier scoring 13 tries in their biggest victory to that point and still their largest win in the first match of a New Zealand tour.
The Lions backs cut the Magpies to shreds and Irish winger Dave Hewitt profited with four tries, including a memorable 75-metre burst. Hewitt was from a decorated rugby family. His father, two uncles and two cousins all played for Ireland as well.
Fullback Ken Scotland scored three tries and is regarded as one of the most exciting players to have graced the Lions.
It has to be noted it wasn’t a particularly strong Hawke’s Bay side, but Neil Thimbleby was an All Black prop in 1970 and first-five Paddy Donovan won two bronze medals in boxing at the 1958 and 1962 Commonwealth Games.
1977 v Wairarapa Bush – Won: 41-13
Despite freezing cold weather, 10,000 fans flocked to Memorial Park in Masterton for the opening match of the 1977 tour.
The Lions started authoritatively when J.J Williams collected a well placed kick by Phil Bennett for the first try.
However the locals got stuck in and took a stunning 13-12 lead to halftime.
Lions lock Nigel Horton was forced to leave the field with a cut eye and concussion and tries scored by Gary McGlashan from a charge down try and Clive Paton propelled the locals into the lead.
The Lions regrouped at the interval and took control swiftly in the second-spell. Bennett kicked a penalty to make it 15-13 and Terry Cobner scored a try before the floodgates opened.
Williams finished with a hat-trick and David Burcher joined Cobner in collecting a double. Cobner was later the head of Welsh Rugby.
Horton had a very unhappy tour. He later broke his thumb against Otago and was sent home. Interestingly he played 20 Tests for England between 1969 and 1980 making him the first man to play for his country across three decades. Later he played in France, worked in consultancy and toured with the Lions in 1997 and 2005 as a scrum machine specialist.
McGlashan was a Wairarapa rugby legend appearing in 132 matches for the province. Paton later founded Ata Rangi wines, but Bill Rowlands was the most noteworthy Wairarapa-Bush player. The grandson of George Nepia who played 158 games first class games is one of only two players worldwide to have played against the Lions on four separate tours, the other was South African Barry ‘Fairy’ Heatlie who played against the Lions on a staggering 19 occasions between 1891 and 1910.
2005 v Bay of Plenty- Won: 34-20
The Guardian acclaimed following this match in front of 35,393 people at the International Stadium in Rotorua the following.
“A memorable Lions tour is guaranteed if every provincial game in New Zealand proves as stirring as this. For those on Bay watch over the weekend there were two more immediate conclusions: there will be no soft games for Brian O’Driscoll’s squad and any player hoping to survive on reputation alone may as well go home now.”
The Lions looked home and hosed when they raced to a 17-0 after only 12 minutes. English fullback Josh Lewsey scored two tries. However the unfortunate loss of colossal No.8 Lawrence Dallaglio inspired a Bay of Plenty comeback. Tries to No.8 Colin Bourke and debutant fly-half Murray Williams (later a Japanese international) tied the scores at halftime.
For much of the second-half it was 20-20, but the Lions telling advantage in the scrums eventually told. English front rowers Steve Thompson and Andrew Sheridan were dominant and tries to Tom Shanklin and Gordon D’Arcy, the later set up by Lewsey, eventually subdued the spirited Steamers.
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