Saving air hostesses, dodging missiles: It’s all part of the fun
Four legendary Lions reveal their best, and worst, memories of life on tour with rugby’s most famous squad to Richard Bath
What was your favourite on-pitch moment on a Lions tour? Shane Williams It would have to be the third Test in South Africa in 2009. I didn’t feature in the first Test and only briefly in the second, so to win, score two tries and be named man of the match made it a good end to the tour.
Martin Johnson It’s got to be winning the series in 1997. It’s not just because we won but because of the way the team played. I think we really surprised them; they didn’t think we were quite as good as we were – in fact, I don’t think we realised we were quite as good as we were. Gavin Hastings Probably the second Test victory in New Zealand 24 years ago when we really were up against it in terms of keeping the tour together. The fact that we beat the All Blacks by a record score – 20-7 – is something to be proud of. Paul O’connell Winning the last Test in South Africa in 2009. I was involved in 2005 and people were questioning whether there was any value in the Lions. We had played some great rugby in the first two Tests in ’09 but we still lost them, so to go to Johannesburg and to finally get a win was a big moment. What was your favourite off-pitch moment while a Lion?
SW It was in 2005 on the tour to New Zealand, just before the third Test. I was massively disappointed not to have been selected, as were the likes of Gordon D’arcy and Gareth Cooper. So, we went down to Queenstown and had a great couple of days: there was some drinking, but mainly it was because I could finally do something I’d always wanted to do – bungee jump.
MJ The court session in Durban in ’97 after we beat Natal. The casting of Neil Jenkins as Ruprecht… if I ever need to smile then I think of that court session. I think Keith Wood sorted it out; turns out he has so much more in him than just playing hooker for the Lions. You often do these things and they’re good fun, there’s a bit of p----taking, but it still makes me smile. And I don’t smile easily.
GH We went whitewater rafting in Australia in 1989, and there was a raft full of Cathay Pacific air hostesses behind us. When they went over the rapids, two or three of them got bundled out because they were so tiny and I think they thought, ‘This is it’. They were basically doing their Hail Marys when they were pulled out of the water by a couple of Lions and put back into the boat. It was the most surreal thing because they were so tiny – it was like picking up a small piece of wood.
PO Any time I went for drinks with Mike Phillips. He was one of those classic Lions stories, in that probably every Irish player hated Mike before that tour, and after it they all loved him.
What was your lowest moment on a Lions tour?
SW I’d played extremely well in 2007 and 2008 and knew the Lions tour was coming up, and my form dipped a little bit. I think I was pushing too hard. I was used quite regularly on the tour, but I just couldn’t quite get the form that I had previously.
MJ Ultimately losing the series in 2001 when we should have won it was the worst it got – you shouldn’t let a Lions series go begging. That’s unforgivable really.
GH Losing the first Test in 1989 when we won all our games going into it and thought we were pretty invincible. We got absolutely stuffed by the Aussies.
PO The few days after the second Test loss in South Africa. We got a lot of things right but still, after that we were 2-0 down. Who was the best Lion you played with?
SW Brian O’driscoll was one of those guys who made my life a lot easier when I played with him. His ability, his reading of the game and his knowledge were all just so far above anyone else I’d played with until that moment.
MJ One player who I really loved playing with was Bentos (John Bentley) in ’97. I loved the whole Bentos experience and the fact that this was the first time I’d got a back who was so aggressive on the field – a bit over-aggressive, you might say.
GH Jeremy Guscott. He was something a bit different; he was a cocky so-and-so who had a bit of the X-factor about him when he
could be bothered – and he could be bothered a lot of the time.
PO Alun Wyn Jones. A great guy, an incredibly hard, incredibly committed player. He is super fit, but not mad into the gym. His fitness levels mean that he can play, and train, at such a non-stop pace. Who was the best tourist you were a Lion with?
SW Andy Powell. The 2009 tour was so positive, there were no cliques, no egos, and part of the reason for that was Andy. I remember him getting on the bus on the first day of training and announcing on the mic that his name was Andy Powell and he’d be the go-forward on this Lions tour. Everyone cracked up laughing and from then it was the Andy Powell show.
MJ Paul Wallace. He only went on one Lions tour [1997], but he made
the most of it – he played brilliantly, and made the most of it off the pitch. If you ever thought you were the last person left in a place, you’d look around and find Paul.
GH Scott Hastings. I hated rooming with him but we had fun.
PO I refer you to my previous answer, regarding Mike Phillips. What was the funniest moment you had on a Lions tour?
SW It would be Andy Powell self-diagnosing injuries.
MJ The court session in 1997 – epically funny.
GH Sometimes, what goes on tour stays on tour. This is one of those moments.
PO Being in a nightclub in Durban at 3am when we were getting a little close to the Tests. I was at the bar with Lee Byrne and Mike Phillips and we saw all the Sky staff coming in one side of the nightclub. I realised it was time to get the boys out of there.
What are the keys to success on a Lions tour?
SW Above all, it’s belief – you know you’re going to the hardest place in world rugby to play, in their back garden, against a team that’s been waiting 12 years to roll you over. The most important thing is believing that you can do it.
MJ Togetherness. You’ve got to believe in each other and play for each other, it’s as simple as that. However you put it, you’ve got to have a group of guys who want to do it for each other.
GH The midweek side needs its own identity. In ’89 we had Donal Lenihan and his midweek side was called Donal’s Doughnuts. We got some T-shirts produced and they became a badge of honour. If you’ve got a midweek team that take that role seriously, you have a chance. In 2005, Clive Woodward had two different teams – well done Clive, who came up with that bright idea?
PO Having a group of people, from staff to players, who realise how hard you have to work to actually become a team. Some people are naturally quiet and stand-offish, and build bonds and relationships over a long time, but you simply can’t do that on a Lions tour. What are the main barriers to success? SW The team you’re playing against! Apart from that, it’s not getting on, having no cohesion, not really believing in the coaches and players around you. If there are any doubts in one player it can spread through to the whole of the squad.
MJ People not pulling their weight. People letting their heads go down. It’s hard because some people get in a bad place; they’re very intense experiences and, whilst they can be very good, they can be very tough.
GH History. The Lions have only won 18 per cent of Tests in New Zealand and there are only five winning captains still alive. There have been more men on the moon than there have been winning Lions captains in the modern era.
PO Time. You hear about these relationships that Lions players from the Seventies had – Ian Mcgeechan talks about them almost with a tear in his eye. He even still calls Willie John Mcbride “skipper” when he meets up with him, but they were three-monthlong tours. There’s still pressure to create those relationships, but the tour nowadays is only seven weeks long. Which Lions story have you told most since your last tour?
SW We played Western Province in midweek [in 2009] and Andy Powell had a great game, but he came to training the next day with a bandage on his wrist and thumb where he self-diagnosed that he’d broken both without the physios even knowing. The following day Andy was playing golf. So, whether he ever intended to play in any of the Tests is open to question … MJ The ’97 Court story.
GH In New Zealand in 1993, Rory Underwood scored a try in the second Test to win the game and Brian Moore went back up the field to flick the Vs at this massive stand in Wellington. All these p----- off Kiwis were chucking beer cans at him and one full one came crashing down next to him. He picked it up, pulled the pin, slugged it back and chucked the empty can back into the stand.
PO Early on in 2009 having a few beers together was really encouraging, and Adam Jones said to me: “I’ve been off drink for a year to try and get picked on this tour, and since I’ve been on it, I can’t get off it.” Which five words best describe what it means to be a Lion? SW Pride, pinnacle, history, winning, togetherness. MJ Very, very, very, very special. GH Experience. Honour. Pride. Fun. History.
PO Pressure. Inspirational. Enjoyable. Tough. Historic. Who will be the key Lions player on this tour? SW Owen Farrell could be key to the Lions and their chances of success. The All Blacks will target him with his temperament.
MJ There’s no one player who can do it all, rugby’s the ultimate team game – you can’t pick one out.
GH Owen Farrell. PO Whoever plays out-half. My pick is Johnny Sexton, because I played with him and I know him. Whoever it is, no one makes more decisions than the out-half, no one sets the tone of how you’re going to play more than the out-half, so I think he’s the guy who can decide it all. What will be the series score? SW The Lions are capable of winning the physical battle up front. The Lions to win 2-1.
MJ 1-1 and the last Test tied so we have to play a fourth Test.
GH 2-1 or 1-2.
PO 2-1 to the Lions. Shane Williams, Martin Johnson, Gavin Hastings and Paul O’connell are ambassadors for British & Irish Lions Principal Partner, Standard Life Investments