BRIAN MOORE

Australia v Lions, Sydney, 1989

In 1989, I was nobody’s choice as the Test hooker. Conventional wisdom was that as Australia had Tommy Lawton, a giant 19-stone hooker, the Lions would have to play Steve Smith, the Ulster and Irish hooker, to compete with him. I was, it seemed, the only person who demurred.

In those days tours were longer and the squad settled into the midweek and Saturday teams. I was reasonably confident that being selected in the Saturday side in the two games leading up to the first Test meant that I was going to achieve my ambition and confound my critics.

You must be in contention to fully realise what an honour or disappointment it is to be or not be a Test match Lion. It is the pinnacle of a British or Irish player’s career because you know thereafter that your achievement will be honoured by everyone in the sport.

In my first Test, we got hammered by Australia but fought back to be the only Lions side in history to lose a first Test but win a series.