‘That it haunts me 40 years on shows what it all means’

Six former Lions recall the experience of going into the final Test with the series on the edge – and the memories of ecstasy or agony produced by the biggest games of their careers

There was no change in preparation going into that fourth Test at Eden Park, nor was there any open discussion as to the consequences of winning the series. However, we knew we were close to the greatest achievement of our rugby careers and I am sure each member of the tour allowed himself to dream.

There is always tension in the minutes prior to the start of an international match and unfortunately we did not settle quickly, with New Zealand going into an early lead. We recovered to be level at half-time, however, and JPR Williams’ drop goal was a relief as we had not created many chances.

Throughout the tour Carwyn [James, the head coach] had emphasised that, if we played to our potential, we would win.

But at the end of the game there was little elation. We had won the series, but we had not played in the manner which had given us so much pleasure during the tour. We had not taken risks nor was there a flow to our game. It was as if the significance of the game had shown itself during the course of the match.

That said, the achievement did register on arrival at Heathrow when we were greeted by hundreds of supporters. The feeling of satisfaction developed and has remained to this day. I can only hope that the Lions of 2017 will experience that same feeling.

That fourth Test in New Zealand was probably the worst moment of my career. We dominated the game and in truth we had dominated New Zealand in the series despite being 2-1 down.

We were leading in that final match with moments to go. Unfortunately Phil Bennett missed a kick to touch, they stuck it back up in the air, it hit Peter Wheeler on the shoulder and Lawrie Knight scored in the corner. To have it taken away in the last second was just devastating. I have never felt that way before or since about losing a game of rugby. That it still haunts me 40 years on says how much it means to win or draw a Lions series.

From the second Test onwards, we really had the measure of them up front.

By the third Test they were pulling the front row down. They were right because it worked. Psychologically they were admitting defeat by doing that. It was the smart thing to do and that’s what New Zealand are good at – finding the smart way to play.

The problem for the backs was that it was so wet that it was hard to play the type of rugby they wanted and they ended up losing confidence as the tour went on. It is hard to describe how bad the conditions were. For the third Test they had some helicopters on the field whirring their blades trying to dry out what was a heavy pitch in Dunedin. It was typical of the tour that we absolutely dominated them up front but we missed a stack of penalties, probably six or seven kicks at goal and lost the game.

But because we were so much better than them up front we went into that fourth Test convinced we were going to win. It was also a dry day, only the second match on the entire tour where it had not been pouring down. Really the thought of us losing had not occurred to me which why it hurt so much even now 40 years on.

We lost the opening Test in Sydney and were well aware that no Lions side had ever come back from a 1-0 deficit to win the series. That loss was a body blow to the team but we knew if we stuck to our gameplan we could bounce back.

We managed to get over the line in The Battle of Ballymore in the second Test and then it was back to Sydney for the third. We were getting absolutely hammered by their press but Ian Mcgeechan,

our coach, kept us very well grounded and told us we would win if we stretched the Australians and targeted David Campese with our box-kicking.

We had some real leaders in our team with the likes of Brian Moore, Finlay Calder and Mike Teague, and there was a real sense of unity and self-belief.

In the end we won it through sheer determination. The decisive moment came when Campese threw a crazy pass to Greg Martin that Ieuan Evans pounced upon to score, that changed the entire complexion of the game.

Then it was all about playing with pressure, which is what the Lions will have to do this weekend. I remember making one instinctive tackle on Campese when he came out of nowhere, but we held on. It was a fantastic feeling and I remember going round the stadium to applaud our supporters – there were only a couple of hundred in those days.

It was particularly special with my brother Gavin playing at full-back, and my eldest brother, Mum and Dad were all in the crowd as well. It felt unique and remains one of my proudest moments.

Idid not feel nervous at all really. There was a good deal of excitement.

Because it was 24 years ago there was not the media hype of today. We were aware of history and what had happened before in 1971, but I do not think there was a sense that we would achieve something incredible.

What we did have were a group of Lions who had won in Australia four years before. We would tap into that and knew we had a very good side, an outstanding side.

I just wonder whether somewhere in our psyche we knew we were absolutely exhausted. I do not think we responded quickly enough. We had a demoralising midweek defeat to Waikato, which was not ideal, but we were very confident. We thought we could carry on from the win in the second Test, but the tank was empty, physically and mentally. We did not change our gameplan, the All Blacks saw how to defeat us and ultimately did so comfortably.

What was so devastating is that if you lose the Six Nations, you can come back next year. With the Lions it is done and dusted. That team will never play again. No more.

I am a big fan of nostalgia with the Lions. Nostalgia with the usual schedule does not quite work, what with the churn of fixtures. The Lions is something else, it has a nostalgia to it.

If I had known in 1993 that not only I had lost the opportunity to win a series, but that by the time the next series came along that I would have lost my place in the England team and a year after that I would have retired... I do not know what that would have done to me. It just makes you realise that in the four years between series, so much can happen. You have to take this opportunity because unlike with your country, you probably will not have another chance.

Ionly had a handful of caps for Ireland but I was called up in place of Lawrence Dallaglio very late in that tour, with around three weeks to go.

A couple of weeks beforehand I had been out in Ayia Napa with a load of lads on a summer holiday. To go from that to being part of a Lions squad heading into a series decider was surreal.

My brother Richard had been a Lion in 1993 and Paul was on the tour that won in South Africa in 1997. My call-up meant we were the first set of three brothers to represent the Lions – that really was the cherry on top of the pie.

To be in a position where it is 1-1 going into the last Test, it does not get better than that. Maybe you could equate it to a World Cup final. It might be ahead of that. It certainly is a nerve-filled week and everyone deals with it differently.

That said, it is a fantastic place to be. To make the tour is special and to be around the team heading into a final Test is something very few players get to experience.

I was called in to be part of the extended 24-man squad when Scott Quinnell had an injury and they were not sure he was going to be able to play. That meant I warmed up with them, which was a tremendous experience for a 24-year-old who only had a handful of caps and was struggling to get in the Munster team!

I did not get on the pitch in the end but I know the boys playing on Saturday will be fully focused and alert for the weekend. It is going to be a fantastic finale.

All week, everyone is aware of how big a game it is. That means there is a danger that you peak on Thursday or Friday. Then, by Saturday, you are drained. That is what you are trying to avoid, so we flew to Noosa straight after the second Test.

Obviously Brian O’driscoll’s non-selection dominated headlines. I remember being sat next to Jonathan Davies on the bus straight after the announcement. He said: ‘Jeez…i’m going to take some flak.’ We laughed it off and concentrated on the rugby.

Training had an edge about it. Players were getting feisty and there were a few niggles because everyone knew what was on the line. Some of the lads got stuck into each other, demanding high standards. If there was the odd mistake, the odd brain fart in training, whoever had made it certainly knew about it. We knew that one little error, one slip-up could cost us seven points, even the Test match on the Saturday.

In the changing room beforehand, emotions were incomparable to anything else. I remember Alyn Wyn Jones’ speech well. I had had a dodgy hamstring, but I took my drugs and after that speech my hamstring did not hurt. Not one per cent. There was no pain. The amount of adrenalin running through my body was epic. I felt completely invincible. It did not matter how much pain we had to go through anyway – it was about winning.

We wanted to express ourselves and give it everything. Australia spilled the first kick-off and we got a try off that first scrum about four or five phases later. Apart from a little scare beforehand when James O’connor scored for them, we just grew and grew.

As for other incidents in the game, I remember my try...and then getting subbed! That was a good moment, but the game was won by then really. I remember there being a huge collision early on involving George Smith. He went off and came back on, which sparked the whole debate around concussion.

You can dress up rugby all you want. When all is said and done, you have to win collisions – none more so than at the top level.