British and Irish Lions 2017: An A-Z of how the tourists travelled to New Zealand to face the All Blacks

What have the most memorable parts of this tour been?

A – Alun Wyn Jones

The legendary Welsh lock will receive his 119th Test cap on Saturday, but he will set a new professional era record by making his ninth consecutive Lions Test start, having toured in 2009, 2013 and 2017. After admitting this will probably be his last Lions tour, take a moment to appreciate just what Alun Wyn has given to British and Irish rugby.

B – Barrett

Not one, not two but three Barrett’s will play for the All Blacks on Saturday. Having already become the first trio of brothers to play for the All Blacks, they will now become the first triumvirate to face the Lions. However, for 20-year-old Jordie, this could be the start of another incredible All Black career.

C – Clown

A happy clown he may be if the Lions clinch the series on Saturday, Warren Gatland has had to endure familiar treatment by the Kiwi media during the tour, which included being drawn up as a clown on the front page of one newspaper who have been accused of launching a personal campaign against him. However, the Lions’ ‘clown’ may yet have the last laugh.


 Gatland was pictured dressed as a clown on the front of a New Zealand newspaper 
 (Getty)

D – Documentary

As soon as the tour finishes, Lions fans will eagerly look forward to the behind-the-scenes ‘Living with the Lions’ documentary that is always a highlight of each tour. Given the squad enjoyed a break in Queenstown this week, the country’s extreme sports capital, it could well be worth the watch.

E – Earthquake

The return to Christchurch for the game against the Crusaders displayed the devastating effect that the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes had on the city. The assembled media then got a frightening warning of what can happen in the region when a 4.2 earthquake happened while interviewing players in the media centre. It was one of the memorable moments for the wrong reasons.

F – Farrell

Not Owen, but Andy. The former England international once again drilled his defensive nous into the players that single-handedly produced the victory over the Crusaders – where they conceded just three points – that proved to be the turning point of this tour. Now working with Ireland, Farrell’s reputation for the defensive side of the game continues to go before him.

G – Geography Six

It could have become the defining incident of the tour. Six players were called up to the Lions squad and an uproar back home followed, with fans unhappy that players who merited a call-up were overlooked due to their location. Both Allan Dell and Finn Russell became Lions as they were given brief cameos, but for Kristian Dacey, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies, they returned home still as Lions hopefuls.

H – Haka

What used to be a mesmerising occasion before Tests with the All Blacks suddenly became the regular sight throughout the tour. The Lions had to face a Haka seven times before matches on tour, and countless other times during off-field ceremonies. However, for the 7,770 fans that were in Rotorua, they had the honour of setting a new Guinness World Record with the biggest Haka ever seen.

(Getty Images)

I – Injuries

Sadly, every tour has its low points, and for Stuart Hogg, Ross Moriarty, Robbie Henshaw and George North, they came in the form of tour-ending injuries. They were not the only ones, as a potential test series star in Ben Smith was forced out midway through the first half of the opening encounter. Unfortunately, it’s always something that will happen in rugby, but on the whole the Lions have actually had to deal with very few injuries on this tour.

J – Jonathan Joseph

Only JJ could be included for J, with the England centre getting a huge vote of confidence when the squad was announced when head coach Warren Gatland personally vouched for him because he was too good to leave out. Joseph was seriously unlucky not to see Test action, and suffered simply by playing in the mid-week side rather than the Saturday one.

K – Kieran Read

The All Blacks captain makes his 100th Test appearance in the final match of the series – a phenomenal 93 of which have been starts. Having helped the All Blacks to two Rugby World Cups and countless victories along the way, the least he deserves is a series win over the Lions, and he has well and truly emerged from the shadow from his predecessor Richie McCaw.

L – Laumape

Hurricanes centre Ngani Laumape has certainly taken his chance to leave an impression on the Lions. He scored an emphatic try in the mid-week draw in Wellington when he ran over Dan Biggar, and after coming on to make his international debut in the second Test, he will be tasked with replacing Sonny Bill Williams. Chances don’t come much bigger than that.

M – Maori

The history and heritage of New Zealand has formed a large part of the tour, and it has been a fascinating part of the off-field memories that will be taken back home. From the traditional welcome at Auckland airport to learning about the formation of New Zealand as a sovereign state, delving into the country’s past has been an informative one.

N – New Zealand

You simply could not have an A-Z of the Lions tour without mentioning just how beautiful New Zealand is. From the frozen mountains of Queenstown to the sunny climes of Northland and everything in-between, you should not think twice about visiting the Land of the Long White Cloud, and it’s all the better if you can coincide it with a Lions tour.

O – Oooh Maro Itoje

The Saracens and England lock has become an immediate Lions favourite, and the sound of nearly 30,000 fans chanting “Oooh Maro Itoje” long into the night in Wellington will live long in the memory. Ever the humble one, Itoje is not massively keen on hearing his name chanted from the stands, but when his own teammates are joining in, what chance does he have of stopping it?

The Lions have drew the series level at 1-1 (Getty)

P – Pullman

The Pullman Hotel, Auckland, that can otherwise be known as the ‘bubble’ that the Lions wrapped themselves in for a fair share of the tour. Not until the final two weeks and the end of the non-stop travelling did the Lions players get the chance to head out of their team hotel and see just how big this tour really was. Instead, they were hidden in the sanctuary of the Pullman Hotel, and for some it will feel like leaving home when they depart on Sunday.

Q – Queenstown

Ask any Lion about the trip to Queenstown and they will immediately attempt to hide a beaming smile on their face. The trip to the ski resort offered the players the chance to unwind and enjoy some of the more fun activities on offer in New Zealand, including bungee jumping and jet boating – not to mention the chance to relax with a few beers. If they pull off the most incredible of series wins, the Queenstown trip will be a huge part behind it.

R – Red

Red part I and red part II. Part I came in the arrival of thousands and thousands of Lions supporters arriving ahead of the match against the Maori All Blacks that really displayed the arrival of the famed Sea of Red. Part II came when Sonny Bill Williams looked up at referee Jerome Garces during the second Test and saw him produce a red card that could prove to be the defining moment of the entire tour.

S – St Clair

A hidden gem tucked away outside Dunedin that the Lions took time to visit ahead of the game against the Highlanders. The beach-side town offered incredible views and a chance for fans to meet the players as they explored, although the shark warnings on the sea front will have kept those adventures to land-only.

T – Tries

The Lions spent the first three weeks of the tour getting panned for not scoring enough tries, yet they taught the All Blacks a lesson in how to score them and make them look good during the first two tests of the series. Sean O’Brien’s score in the first Test will go down in history as one of the greats, and Warren Gatland must be applauded for getting his side playing beautiful rugby.

O'Brien scored from close range a move started by Liam Williams, and also involving Elliot Daly and Jonathan Davies (Getty)

U – Uncapped

26 uncapped players were included by Gatland in his 41-man squad that touched down in New Zealand six weeks ago, with Lions legends like Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Roberts consigned to history. The youngsters have not disappointed though, and the likes of Maro Itoje and Tadhg Furlong have shown that the future of British and Irish rugby is in good hands.

V – Vunipola

Mako Vunipola has cemented his place as the starting Lions loosehead, even if he had a few bumps along the way, but sadly his brother could not join him. Billy was due to follow in the footsteps of his brother – as well as cousin Taulupe Faletau – and become a Lion, only for a shoulder injury to rule him out before the tour began. Such a good player does not deserve such a fate, but at 24 years old, his time will come.

Billy Vunipola looks poised to be recalled to the England starting line-up against Scotland (Getty)

W – Waitangi

The Lions decided to venture north to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds after their opening game, and any lingering jet lag was immediately blown away by the incredible sights on offer in the Northland region. The Bay of Islands certainly allowed to Lions to take in the beauty of New Zealand, and the Maori welcome – that involved nearly 500 tribesmen and women – will be something they never forget.

X – X-Factor

Warren Gatland, Rob Howley, Andy Farrell – all of the Lions coaches were guilty of talking up the ‘X-Factor’ that the Lions apparently possessed. But my, how the players justified their lofty praise. The Lions may not win the series, but they have earned New Zealand’s respect and then some for the way that they have played against the All Blacks.

Y – Yips

Beauden Barrett suffered a bad case of the yips in the second Test when he missed three penalties – two of which were from an easy central position – that could have cost New Zealand the series. The three missed kicks would have secured the All Blacks an unassailable 2-0 lead, and the fly-half will not want to be left ruing a once-in-a-lifetime chance that he missed out on when it mattered.

Z – Damian McKenzie

Ok, we’re clutching at straws, but there was only one player who featured in the entire tour that had a Z in his name and that came in Chiefs’ back Damian McKenzie – albeit for the Maori All Blacks. McKenzie is tipped to have a future with the All Blacks and trained with the side during the series, and despite not enjoying the best of performances against the Lions, he’s worth keeping an eye out for.