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The 1971 British and Irish Lions squad that went to New Zealand is still the only Lions squad to win a series against New Zealand on Kiwi soil. And possibly the greatest Lions team of all time.
The Lions won the series 2-1, with one test drawn.
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The 1971 Lions squad was:
BACKS
John Dawes (Wales-capt)
J.P.R.Williams (Wales)
Bob Hillier (England)
John C Bevan (Wales)
Alastair Biggar (Scotland)
Gerald Davies (Wales)
David Duckham (England)
Arthur Lewis (Wales)
John Spencer (England)
Chris Rea (Scotland)
Mike Gibson (Ireland)
Barry John (Wales)
Gareth Edwards (Wales)
Ray Hopkins (Wales)
FORWARDS
Frank Laidlaw (Scotland)
John Pullin (England)
Ian McLauchlan (Scotland)
Sandy Carmichael (Scotland)
Sean Lynch (Ireland)
Ray McLoughlin (Ireland)
Brian Stevens (England)
Gordon Brown (Scotland)
Geoff Evans (Wales)
Willie John McBride (Ireland)
Mike Roberts (Wales)
Delme Thomas (Wales)
Mike Hipwell (Ireland)
Roger Arneil (Scotland)
Derek Quinnell (Wales)
Fergus Slattery (Ireland)
John Taylor (Wales)
Mervyn Davies (Wales)
Peter Dixon (England)
COACH: Carwyn James (Wales)
The first test went to the Lions with a 9-3 victory at Carisbrook. But the All Blacks hit back hard in the second test at Christchurch, by 22-12. The Lions took a 2-1 lead in the series after a 13-3 win in Wellington. The 4th test at Eden Park resulted in a 14-14 draw.
Interestingly, the manager of the 1971 Lions squad, Dr Doug Smith had predicted a Lions series win at the start of the tour with a 2-1 margin, with one test drawn-which is exactly what happened.
TEST RESULTS:
FIRST TEST-Dunedin
New Zealand 3 British & Irish Lions 9
SECOND TEST-Christchurch
New Zealand 22 British & Irish Lions 12
THIRD TEST-Wellington
New Zealand 3 British & Irish Lions 13
FOURTH TEST-Auckland
New Zealand 14 British & Irish Lions 14
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