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.

Lions Greatest XV: full-backs

29 November 2012 1 comment

As the last line of defence, the full-back must be a good tackler with safe hands and a fair bit of pace to come into […]

Lions Greatest XV: Wingers

22 November 2012 1 comment

When it comes to the finishers who play in the two wing positions The Lions come second to no-one. A list of Lions’ wingers reads […]

Lions Greatest XV: centres

15 November 2012 0 comments

Centres are the playmakers and finishers who make the most of the chances created by the fly-halves inside them, and The Lions have had some […]

Lions Greatest XV: fly-halves

7 November 2012 0 comments

When it comes to making the big decisions that determine whether a series is won or lost, Lions fly-halves have always been in the thick […]

Lions Greatest XV: scrum-halves

1 November 2012 0 comments

The best scrum-half I have seen, or am ever likely to see – that was the verdict on Gareth Edwards from Willie John McBride, the […]

Armitage brothers look for Lions spot

31 October 2012 0 comments

The Armitage brothers have accepted they stand more chance of playing for the Lions than they do of getting a recall to Stuart Lancaster‘s England […]

Lions greatest XV: No.8

25 October 2012 1 comment

The position in the middle of the back row is tactically one of the most influential on the pitch, because the ball is either in […]

Lions greatest XV: Fergus Slattery (1974) – openside

14 October 2012 0 comments

There is a body of opinion that the role of the openside flanker has changed significantly in the 41 years since The 1971 Lions Tour, […]

“Warren Gatland must hold his nerve over Lions team,” says Ian McGeechan

12 October 2012 0 comments

In an era when even the finest rugby coaches have a drastically short shelf-life, Sir Ian McGeechan’s longevity of service with the Lions – the […]

Brilliant Brian O’Driscoll is early charger for Lions place

11 October 2012 0 comments

Selecting a Lions team from the ranks of the Aviva Premiership and the RaboDirect Pro12 is a fraught business at this stage of the season. […]

Lions greatest XV: Roger Utley (1974) – blindside

7 October 2012 0 comments

When the going gets tough, blindside flankers get going – and in Peter Dixon and Derek Quinnell (1971), Roger Uttley (1974), Mike Teague (1989), Ben […]

Lions greatest XV: Willie John Mcbride (1974) and Martin Johnson (1997) – locks

30 September 2012 0 comments

When it comes to the big second row turbines which drive the pack The Lions have been able to call on some of the most […]

Lions greatest XV: Jason Leonard (1989) – tighthead

23 September 2012 0 comments

L ions tight head props are the strongest of the strong, the men with iron-girder necks, backs and legs who have to absorb and transmit […]

Jeremy Guscott: Gatland musn’t go looking for problems

22 September 2012 0 comments

I was surprised when Warren Gatland came out with the view that overseas-based players, especially those in France, could rule themselves out of contention for […]

Lions greatest XV: Brian Moore (1989) – hooker

16 September 2012 1 comment

When the British & Irish Lions embark on their Tour of Australia next summer, their army of fans will be ready to hail new heroes. […]

“Jonny Wilkinson remains in the frame,” says Warren Gatland

12 September 2012 0 comments

Jonny Wilkinson is not yesterday’s man as far as Lions coach Warren Gatland is concerned. Gatland opened the door to the 2003 England World Cup […]

Wallabies get set to cash in on the Lions

11 September 2012 0 comments

The Australians have drawn up plans to cash in on the Lions by charging £200 a ticket for the three-Test series. As proof that there […]

Lions greatest XV: Ian Mclauchlan (1971-1974) – loosehead

9 September 2012 0 comments

The Lions have fielded some of the greatest props the game has seen, mirroring the finest scrummaging tradition within the four Home Unions. Paramount among […]