1977 British Lions tour to New Zealand

rdf:langString 1977 British Lions tour to New Zealand

rdf:langString Phil Bennett

rdf:langString John Dawes

rdf:langString B. Duffy

rdf:langString D. Millar

rdf:langString P. McDavitt

rdf:langString S Koroi

rdf:langString British Lions

rdf:langString Irvine

rdf:langString '''

rdf:langString Try: Morgan

rdf:langString Beaumont

rdf:langString Burcher

rdf:langString Con: Bennett

rdf:langString Con: Morgan

rdf:langString Pen: Bennett

rdf:langString Pen: Irvine

rdf:langString Pen: Morgan

rdf:langString Try: J. J. Williams

rdf:langString Try: Bennett

rdf:langString Try: Duggan

rdf:langString New Zealand

rdf:langString Johnstone

rdf:langString Batty'''

rdf:langString Con: Rauto

rdf:langString Con: Wilson

rdf:langString Con:''' Williams

rdf:langString Drop: Robertson

rdf:langString Drop: Tikoisuva

rdf:langString Haden

rdf:langString Kaunikoro

rdf:langString Pen: Williams

rdf:langString Pen: Wilson

rdf:langString Racika

rdf:langString Rauto

rdf:langString Try: Going

rdf:langString Try: Kirkpatrick

rdf:langString Try: Knight

rdf:langString Try: Narisia

rdf:langString Phil Bennett

rdf:langString In 1977 the British Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand. The Lions played 26 matches, including four internationals against the All Blacks. They lost the series against the All Blacks by three matches to one. The team played as the British Isles in their internationals against the All Blacks and the British Lions for the non-international games. Unlike all previous tours to New Zealand, the Lions did not play any matches in Australia, though one game was also played at Buckhurst Park, Suva, against Fiji. The Lions tourists left London on 10 May 1977 and returned on 19 August. Of their 26 matches on tour, they won 21 and lost 5. Although the Lions lost the test series against the All Blacks they were level 1–1 after the second international and came close to drawing the series; they led 9–6 going into injury time in the fourth test only to concede a match-winning try scored by Lawrie Knight. Outside the test series, the Lions beat all their New Zealand provincial opponents as well as the NZ Maori and NZ Juniors representative teams, losing only to the New Zealand Universities team four days before the first international – this was the first defeat for a Lions team since the 1971 tourists lost the second test to the All Blacks on the same Christchurch ground and ended an unbeaten run of thirty-nine matches for the Lions. It was during the Junior All Blacks game that the famous 'Mudman' image of Fran Cotton, waiting for the ball at a line-out while caked head-to-toe in mud, was taken. Captured by Colorsport's Colin Elsey, it became one of the iconic images of rugby union. On their way home, in August 1977, the Lions stopped off to play the Fiji for the first time and suffered their fifth defeat of the tour, Fiji winning 25–21. A team selected from the Lions touring party played one further match, against the Barbarians at Twickenham on 10 September 1977, to mark the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The Lions won by 23-14 in front of a capacity crowd, having led 15–0 at half-time.