British and Irish Lions

This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s British and Irish Lions news, interviews, reports, opinion and other content.

Slammin’ Sam finds true form in the end

9 July 2017 1 comment

Setting example: Captain Sam Warbuton got stronger throughout the series PICTURES: Getty Images NICK CAIN’S RATINGS 1. MAKO VUNIPOLA Back in control – crashed over […]

Faletau came of age, going toe to toe with Read

9 July 2017 1 comment

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK Consistently brilliant: Taulupe Faletau IT’S been one hell of a series and no-one involved with this Lions team […]

Pub talk

9 July 2017 0 comments

Breakfast in the local… a light-hearted look at how the Lions unite the country You wouldn’t say there was an air of optimism sweeping through […]

Crying shame there’s no fourth Test to show how great Lions could be

9 July 2017 0 comments

BRENDAN GALLAGHER VERDICT Not enough time: Rhys Webb had more to offer WHAT a whirlpool of emotions it was on the final whistle yesterday for […]

Ref Poite was wrong, but Sam handled him so well

9 July 2017 1 comment

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND HIS WAS an incredible achievement by the Lions. I don’t understand those people who are saying it was a […]

Whitelock fancies another crack at Lions in November

9 July 2017 0 comments

ALL Blacks second row Samuel Whitelock admitted he’d be interested in a possible rematch with the British & Irish Lions after the two sides drew […]

Demands for tit-for-tat bans simply clap-trap!

9 July 2017 0 comments

NICK CAIN READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK Take a bow Jerome Garces for bucking the trend of referees turning a blind eye to All […]

Machete menace in ref rage

9 July 2017 2 comments

TOUCHLINE abuse has reached new heights in the Solomon Islands. Kiwi policeman and rugby referee Kevin Folau, part of the peace-keeping mission in the strife-torn […]

Lions win the song contest

9 July 2017 2 comments

THE reluctance of New Zealand crowds to get behind their team has always been a problem. So, knowing how vocal the incoming Lions fans would […]

Sing-a-long fans show rugby still has romance

9 July 2017 2 comments

John Taylor, a hero of the 1971 tour, finds thousands of reasons to be cheerful in Eden Park Tributes: Tadhg Furlong It was Ian McGeechan, […]

Dream come true to wear this jersey says Itoje

9 July 2017 0 comments

LIONS skipper Warburton joked he was “getting ready for extra time” but a draw was “better than losing”. He said: “Both teams are going to […]

I suspect Gatland feared the Lions would lose this one

9 July 2017 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Tough call: Jerome Kaino wraps up Alun Wyn Jones after catching him with a swinging elbow […]

So what next to save Lions from being an anachronism?

2 July 2017 0 comments

Brendan Gallagher looks at how the Lions could reinvent themselves in the coming seasons THE British and Irish Lions need to bite the bullet and […]

When the Lions roamed the Pampas

2 July 2017 0 comments

The Lions staged three tours to Argentina in the early days before giving up on the idea. The 1910 tour was essentially an English invitation […]

All Blacks (almost) always come out firing for Test finale

2 July 2017 0 comments

The Lions will return to Auckland from their Queenstown break this week full of hope and expectation but they need to keep it real as […]

PUB TALK

2 July 2017 0 comments

Breakfast in the local… a light-hearted look at how the Lions unite the country Two mighty roars bellowing out of the open doors of the […]

Lions find their soul to take a mighty step on road to glory

2 July 2017 0 comments

New Zealand 21pts Penalties: Barrett 20, 32, 36, 48, 54, 58, 67 British & Irish Lions 24pts Tries: Faletau 60, Murray 69 Conversions: Farrell 70 […]

Sexton and Farrell are certain to get better and better playing together

2 July 2017 0 comments

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND IT WAS a privilege to be in Wellington to watch this thriller of a game; it was right up […]

Lions fans recogniseItoje is the real deal

2 July 2017 0 comments

LIONS STAR MAN Our hero: Fans mob Maro Itoje after the victory PICTURES: Getty Images NICK CAIN’S RATINGS 1. MAKO VUNIPOLA Uncharacteristic lack of control. […]

We were better team, regardless of the red card says Gatland

2 July 2017 0 comments

Pleased: Warren Gatland WARREN Gatland said he was a “happy clown” after his Lions levelled the series with a 24-21 win over New Zealand in […]

Lions prove they have stomach for the battle

2 July 2017 1 comment

That was more like it: Taulupe Faletau JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE…EVERY WEEK To beat an All Blacks side that have lost only six games […]

Lions should have taken 45 players in first place

2 July 2017 1 comment

REPLACEMENT strategies are becoming the bane of Lions tours, as the furore around the ‘Geography Six’ – the late call-ups to this squad –has thrown […]

As the pressure ramped up, so cool Gatland kept his nerve

2 July 2017 1 comment

Big impact: Courtney Lawes BRENDAN GALLAGHER VERDICT This Test was not only a compelling thriller which instantly claims its place in Lions folklore but a […]

Kiwis show kindness off playing field

2 July 2017 0 comments

EVERY cloud has a silver lining. Or it did at least for a group of Lions fans who arrived in Wellington ahead of the second […]

Jaco helps new refs

2 July 2017 0 comments

PROTOCOL on this Lions tour says the referees are not allowed to speak to the media. So we haven’t been able to ask Jaco Peyper, […]

Exhausted Lions blunted by Gatland’s bench policy

2 July 2017 0 comments

Hurricanes 31pts Tries: Gibbins 27, Laumape 41, Goosen 68, Fifita 71 Conversions: Barrett 29, 43, 68, 71 Penalties: Barrett 50 British & Irish Lions 31pts […]

Henderson pays high price for costly late yellow card

2 July 2017 1 comment

WARREN Gatland was left ruing Iain Henderson’s yellow card which cost the Lions victory over the Hurricanes. “The penalties we gave away were a bit […]

Welcome to Warren’s World

2 July 2017 0 comments

Nick Cain looks at The Week That Was for beleagured Lions coach Warren Gatland ARE there any volunteers out there ready to audition for a […]

Sexton-Farrell combo ends Warrenball jibe

2 July 2017 1 comment

Throwing the dice: New 10-12 axis of Owen Farrell and Johnny Sexton IF there was a selection call on which the series hinged for the […]

Wayne’s way has made the All Blacks better people

2 July 2017 0 comments

John Taylor, the 1971 Lions flanker, speaks to Wayne Smith, the coach who makes the All Blacks tick in defence and attack Wayne Smith could […]

For once Barrett didn’t walk on water!

2 July 2017 0 comments

THE Lions certainly got lucky but who cares. They kept New Zealand tryless for the first time since 2014 and eventually found the belief to […]

One match to go, and these Lions could end up legends

2 July 2017 0 comments

A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME JEFF PROBYN With the mid-week games over and just one game to go, I am already suffering from […]

FULL-TIME: Yellow Lions forced to settle for draw in Wellington

27 June 2017 0 comments

A late yellow card to Iain Henderson cost the British and Irish Lions in Wellington this morning as they were forced to concede a 31-31 […]

Davies shows they can be breached

25 June 2017 2 comments

Class: Jonathan Davies tore New Zealand open when he got quick ball PICTURE: Getty Images NICK CAIN’S RATINGS 1. MAKO VUNIPOLA Great footballer and much-improved […]

It’s a huge ask, but Lions can bounce back like us in ‘93

25 June 2017 1 comment

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE…EVERY WEEK Skills of a centre: Brodie Retallick I WOULD love to think that this 2017 vintage can replicate what we […]

Pub talk

25 June 2017 1 comment

Breakfast in the local…a light-hearted look at how the Lions unite the country Well, it all started so brightly. The replica Lions shirts were proudly […]

Hansen’s shrewd selection nullified Gatland’s attacking options

25 June 2017 1 comment

BRENDAN GALLAGHER VERDICT Epitomy of world class: Kieran Read They are clever beggars these New Zealanders. They out-thought as well as outplayed the Lions yesterday […]

Lions need to get to rescue series in North firing Wellington

25 June 2017 0 comments

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND THERE WILL be some Lions fans who didn’t watch Wales in New Zealand last summer. For those who did, […]

Greatest of them all still battling like a true champion

25 June 2017 0 comments

John Taylor John Taylor, the 1971 Lions flanker, meets up with his old sparring partner, the great Colin Meads Te Kuiti has not changed much […]

Lions back row has become a big concern

25 June 2017 1 comment

All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen usually makes a point of talking about team performance, seldom picking out individuals but last night he made an […]

Caging these Lions would be vandalism

25 June 2017 1 comment

READ HIS EXPERT OPINION EVERY WEEK NICK CAIN AUCKLAND was awash with red this week as thousands of Lions fans arrived here for the Test […]

Marty’s on the money after Siberia

25 June 2017 1 comment

MARTY ‘Money’ Banks, the replacement fly-half who became a local hero when he kicked the winning penalty for the Highlanders against the Lions, is one […]

Fans are priced out of first Test

25 June 2017 0 comments

IT was not surprising that there were still spare seats for last night’s New Zealand v Lions Test opener at Eden Park with face value […]

Nifty Nowell nips in with two-try Test reminder

25 June 2017 1 comment

From NICK CAIN at FMG Stadium, Hamilton JACK Nowell was in full flow for the Lions, with the Exeter and England wing grabbing two of […]

Gatland glad to see his finishers find form

25 June 2017 0 comments

RORY Best was a happy man after leading the Lions to their biggest victory of the tour so far. After two defeats in as many […]

I hit 22 stone says Buck, then I got healthy again

25 June 2017 0 comments

Nick Cain Nick Cain catches up with All Blacks legend and former Northampton back row Buck Shelford BUCK Shelford is one of New Zealand’s great […]

Shelford: Haka is part of our identity

25 June 2017 0 comments

BUCK Shelford’s views on the haka and its place in New Zealand society are as straightforward as they were when he and Hika Reid, the […]

When Lions whipped

25 June 2017 0 comments

The Lions King: Barry John up storm in windy city The Lions head to Wellington to play the Hurricanes on Tuesday followed by the second […]

…and came off ropes to land knockout

25 June 2017 0 comments

The third Test at Wellington was billed as the game when the All Blacks would put the Lions away. The tourists had been much better […]

Lions have seven days to bridge the killer gaps

25 June 2017 1 comment

From NICK CAIN at Eden Park, Auckland THE gap between New Zealand and the Lions was never of Grand Canyon proportions in this series opener. […]

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