British & Irish Lions news: The two teams with a 100% winning record against the Lions
Only two teams have a 100% win record against the British and Irish Lions in Test matches.
Since its inception in 1888, the Lions have played 144 recognised Test matches, with 70 wins and 63 defeats.
Currently, they only play one of either South Africa, New Zealand or Australia in series, however, in the past, they have played a whole host of varied nations and teams.
The two who have a 100% record have only played the Lions once, and Sports News Blitz’s Charlie Elliot shares the stories behind their historic wins.
Fiji 25-21 Lions - 1977
Fiji’s historic 25-21 victory over the British and Irish Lions in 1977 remains one of the most significant results in Lions history.
This triumph not only marked a remarkable achievement for Fijian rugby but also made them one of only two teams, alongside The Rest, to hold a 100% win record against the Lions.
On their way home from New Zealand, where they lost the series 3-1 to the All Blacks, they stopped off on the Pacific Island for their first and only Test meeting to date.
The match, played in Suva, saw the Lions taken by surprise by a fearless and determined Fijian side.
Perhaps it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, as Fiji were a very good team in the decades preceding the late 70s and had built a reputation for playing some exciting rugby.
A brace of tries from flanker Vuata Narisia helped the hosts on their way, and despite captain Phil Bennett’s efforts, the Lions fell to a narrow defeat.
Easily the more likely of the two teams on this list to lose their record, there have been talks of future Lions tours potentially including Fiji or some kind of Pacific XV, so there is a chance that these two will play against each other in future.
Playing the First Nations and Pasifika XV in a warm-up game this year in Australia could prove to be the catalyst for a new nation being added to the schedule.
READ MORE: British & Irish Lions news: Complete fixture list and opposition breakdown
Lions 7-15 The Rest - 1986
1986 was supposed to be a year where the Lions toured South Africa, but due to political tensions relating to apartheid in the country, they were not invited to travel by the South African Rugby Board.
Instead, they played a unique Test against a select World XV known as ‘The Rest’.
Those selected for this game are classed as official Lions, and it was a fully capped game despite being different to usual.
The Rest’s team consisted of players from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France, and was a star-studded lineup that was effectively all-stars from across the world.
In a wet and windy game played at Cardiff Arms Park, it was far from the classic that would be expected by looking at the teams on paper, with two tries to one being scored in favour of the visitors.
Australians Nick Farr-Jones and Simon Poidevin scoring a try each was enough to overcome a John Beattie score.
Likely to never happen again, this record is one that will almost certainly exist forever, but it would be interesting to see how a Lions squad would fare against a World XV nowadays.
MORE FROM CHARLIE ELLIOT: British & Irish Lions news: Who are Andy Farrell’s assistants?
