Plan B Forum

Lions squad breakdown by country

Wales (15) - Leigh Halfpenny, Alex Cuthbert, George North, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, Mike Phillips, Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard, Ian Evans, Alun-Wyn Jones, Toby Faletau, Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric, Sam Warburton

England (10) - Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs, Dan Cole, Matt Stevens, Mako Vunipola, Dylan Hartley, Tom Youngs, Geoff Parling, Tom Croft.

Ireland (9) - Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll, Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray, Cian Healy, Paul O'Connell, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O'Brien

Scotland (3) - Stuart Hogg, Sean Maitland, Richie Gray

The British and Irish Lions (formerly known as the British Isles and the British Lions) is a rugby union team chosen from players from the national sides of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The "Lions" (as they are colloquially known) generally select international players but they can pick uncapped players available to any one of the four unions - although in recent years this has rarely occurred.

Combined rugby union sides from the then United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland toured in the Southern Hemisphere from 1888 onwards. The first tour took place as a commercial venture, made without official backing, but the six subsequent visits that took place before the 1910 South Africa tour, the first representative of the four Home Unions, enjoyed a growing degree of support from the authorities.

Great Britain also entered a team at the Olympics Games in 1900 and in 1908, but they were organised separately from the Lions.

In 1949 the Four Home Unions combined formally to create a Tours Committee and for the first time, every player of the 1950 Lions squad was an international before the New Zealand series.[4] The 1950s proved a golden age for Lions rugby, although only in the 1970s did style begin to match the substance of victory in New Zealand and South Africa. Originally, poorly organised Lions teams regularly suffered defeat at the hands of their hosts, but by 1955 the tourists took the matches seriously enough to obtain a 2–2 draw in South Africa. The 1970s saw a renaissance for the side. The last tour of the amateur age took place in 1993.

2013 British & Irish Lions Tour

In 2001 the British & Irish Lions faced the Brumbies at Canberra Stadium and scrapped home with a narrow 30-28 victory. It was the closest any of the Australian Franchises came to beating the Lions on their 2001 Tour; a feat the Brumbies will be hoping to better in 2013.

On Tuesday 18 June the University of Canberra Brumbies will be out to dent the confidence of the Lions four days before their opening Test against the Qantas Wallabies. The mid-week match will be the only chance Canberrans will have to see the Lions in action in the Nation’s capital and fans are encouraged to secure their tickets now!

In what will be a momentous occasion, the University of Canberra Brumbies will hope all of their fans are behind them to help secure their first win against the best from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

DUNCAN Jones is expected to be named in the Barbarians squad for their prestige game with the Lions in Hong Kong on June 1.
The evergreen prop is believed to have been invited to don the famous black and white jersey for the club's end-of-season encounters against England at Twickenham on May 26 and against Warren Gatland's Lions five days later.

It will be a significant honour for the 34-year-old Osprey at the end of his 15th season of senior rugby.
Dwayne Peel and Matthew Rees are also thought likely to get calls.

The trio are set to join James Hook in the squad for the two high-profile encounters.
Despite impressive form for Perpignan, Hook was omitted from the Lions squad as Gatland opted to take three full-backs and only two specialist fly-halves. If the former Ospreys' playmaker is involved, no-one will have more of a point to prove to the Lions head coach.
Hook is free to play for the Barbarians as he has also been passed over by Wales for their summer tour of Japan, with Robin McBryde putting the accent on development for the two-Test trip.
It would be Hook's debut for the famous invitation club.
Kahn Fotuali'i has already been announced as part of the Baa-Baas line-up for the games, along with Sergio Parisse, Jacques Fourie, Martin Castrogiovanni, Nick Evans and Imanol Harinordoquy.

The Lions are likely to include a significant number of Welshmen for the date against Parisse, Hook and Co.

Lord Jim wrote: Imagine my disappointment, when I discovered that this thread was actually about a bunch of hairy drunkards in short pants jumping on each other...

Lord Jim wrote:Now this is disappointing....

When I saw the subject line, I had hoped to see some good photos of large majestic cats, making their way across the Serengeti...