1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand
| 1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand | |
|---|---|
| Date | 22 May – 3 July |
| Coach(es) |  Ian McGeechan |
| Tour captain(s) | Gavin Hastings |
| Test series winners |  New Zealand (2–1) |
| Top test point scorer(s) | Gavin Hastings (38) |
In 1993 the British Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand. This tour followed the Lions' 1989 tour to Australia and preceded their 1997 tour to South Africa. It was the last Lions tour in the sport's amateur era.
The Lions lost the first test match, but won the second to level the series, with New Zealand winning the deciding third test (with the Lions traveling support controversially dispersed around Eden Park at the request of NZRFU). The tour was managed by Geoff Cooke, coached by Ian McGeechan and Dick Best and captained by Gavin Hastings.
Squad
Backs
| Name | Club | Home nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Andrew | Wasps |  England |
|
| Stuart Barnes | Bath | England |
|
| Will Carling | Harlequins | England |
|
| Tony Clement | Swansea |  Wales |
|
| Vince Cunningham | St Mary's College RFC |  Ireland |
Replacement for Scott Hastings |
| Ieuan Evans | Llanelli | Wales |
|
| Scott Gibbs | Swansea | Wales |
|
| Jeremy Guscott | Bath | England |
|
| Gavin Hastings (c) | Watsonians | Scotland |
|
| Scott Hastings | Watsonians | Scotland |
|
| Ian Hunter | Northampton | England |
|
| Robert Jones | Swansea | Wales |
|
| Dewi Morris | Orrell | England |
|
| Andy Nicol | Dundee HSFP | Scotland |
Temporary replacement for Robert Jones |
| Rory Underwood | Leicester and RAF | England |
|
| Tony Underwood | Leicester | England |
|
| Richard Wallace | Garryowen | Ireland |
Replacement for Ian Hunter |
Forwards
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 May | North Auckland | Whangarei | Won | 17–30 |
| 26 May | North Harbour | Auckland | Won | 29–13 |
| 29 May | New Zealand Māori | Wellington | Won | 20–24 |
| 2 June | Canterbury | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | Won | 10–28 |
| 5 June | Otago | Dunedin | Lost | 37–24 |
| 8 June | Southland | Invercargill | Won | 16–34 |
| 12 June | New Zealand | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | Lost | 20–18 |
| 16 June | Taranaki | New Plymouth | Won | 25–49 |
| 19 June | Auckland | Auckland | Lost | 23–18 |
| 22 June | Hawke's Bay | McLean Park, Napier | Lost | 29–17 |
| 26 June | New Zealand | Athletic Park, Wellington | Won | 7–20 |
| 29 June | Waikato | Hamilton | Lost | 38–10 |
| 3 July | New Zealand | Eden Park, Auckland | Lost | 30–13 |
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
Test Series
The first test was won by New Zealand, helped by several debated refereeing decisions. The Lions won the second Test decisively, with a particularly strong performance by Ben Clarke.[1]
Thus the series came down to the third Test decider at Eden Park. The teams were;
New Zealand: John Timu; John Kirwan, Frank Bunce(T), Lee Stensness, Inga Tuigamala; Grant Fox(3C/3P), Jon Preston(T); Craig Dowd, Sean Fitzpatrick (capt)(T), Olo Brown; Robin Brooke, Ian Jones; Jamie Joseph, Michael Jones, Arran Pene Bench: Mark Cooksley, Zinzan Brooke, Matthew Cooper, Ant Strachan, Graham Dowd, Bull Allen
British & Irish Lions: Gavin Hastings (capt)(C/2P); Ieuan Evans, Scott Gibbs(T), Jerry Guscott, Rory Underwood; Rob Andrew, Dewi Morris; Nick Popplewell, Brian Moore, Jason Leonard; Martin Johnson, Martin Bayfield; Ben Clarke, Peter Winterbottom, Dean Richards Bench: Tony Clement, Will Carling, Robert Jones, Paul Burnell, Kenny Milne, Mike Teague
The Lions moved to a 0-10 lead, but New Zealand, goaded by strong local pressure, recovered to win.[2]
References
- Stephen Jones, ed. (1994). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1994–95. Headline. ISBN 0-7472-7850-4.