British and Irish Lions news: A look at the last three tours to Australia

The British and Irish Lions tours have become a staple every four years, with the best from the Home Nations heading to the southern hemisphere to battle it out with some of the finest national teams in World Rugby.

In recent years, the touring side has gone to South Africa, New Zealand and Australia every four years, meaning that it is a 12-year turnaround before facing each nation again.

This long gap means it’s been quite a while since the Lions last clashed with the Wallabies, who they play in the 2025 edition.

There have only been three tours in which these two have solely played each other in the Test series, with the tour going to New Zealand and Australia together before 1989.

In this article, Sports News Blitz rugby writer Charlie Elliott revisits those three iconic Lions tours Down Under.

1989: 2-1 Lions win

It was the first time since 1971 that Ian McGeechan’s side had been down under and the first in 90 years that a tour of Australia didn’t include a trip to New Zealand.

Wins in all but one of their 11 games (a Test defeat vs Australia), meant that they became the first-ever Lions team to win a series from a 1-0 deficit.

Tour manager Clive Rowlands gave a motivational speech after the first defeat, in which he told the team that no one would take a step backwards again on the tour.

A second Test which later became known as the Battle of Ballymore - such was the amount of physicality and needle between the two sides - was won 19-12 thanks to a couple of Michael Lynagh penalties.

Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones ended up having a scuffle with Robert Jones, which started a melee between the two sides.

Mike Teague described the match as “the most violent game of rugby that has ever been played”.

Finally, the Lions snatched the series with a 19-18 win in Sydney.

The win had a huge amount of fortune attached as David Campese gifted a late try to the visitors, courtesy of a misplaced pass.

Nothing could separate the two teams, apart from a moment of madness from the Wallabies winger.

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2001: 2-1 Australia win

In contrast to the 1989 series, the Lions won the first Test before losing the final two to hand Australia their first-ever series win against their visitors.

Kiwi head coach Graham Henry caused controversy before the squad had left the British Isles, when he selected ten Wales players, despite them finishing the lowest out of all four nations.

As the first-ever non-Briton or Irish head coach, Wales boss Henry was never going to be received warmly.

Some external factors didn’t help, such as Irish players not having any international rugby after February due to a livestock disease pushing their Six Nations fixtures back.

Playing the then-World Cup winners away was never going to be an easy task but became a nightmare both on and off the pitch by the end.

Some players felt alienated by the management and accused Henry of treating them like second-class citizens.

The discontent eventually had too much of an impact, with the last two Tests lost by 35-14 and 29-23 scorelines, a far cry from the 29-13 win in Brisbane that started off the series.

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2013: 2-1 Lions win

The last time these two faced off, a barnstorming last Test from Warren Gatland’s Lions secured the series and wrote their name in history.

Two tight games that went both ways set up a winner-takes-all game in Sydney, with the third Test going down as one of the finest team performances of all time.

Gatland showed his genius in this series when he made some bold changes for the final Test, which paid huge dividends as the Lions stormed to a 41-16 victory to secure a 2-1 win in Tests.

Brian O’Driscoll being dropped was a huge call, but it paid off thanks to an outstanding performance from Leigh Halfpenny, amongst others.

Halfpenny’s offloaded assist for George North to fly over in the corner was the best try of the lot, with the Wales fullback stepping Will Genia and Joe Tomane before delivering a beautiful assist.

The first series victory in 16 years at the time, it is the last time that the Lions have won a tour, but they will be hopeful this year that history can repeat itself.

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