Iconic British and Irish Lions Captains
3 Of The Greatest Lions Captains
Daniel Cullinane looks back at three iconic Captains who lead the Lions against some of the toughest opponents in world rugby, the All Blacks, the Springboks, and the Wallabies.
Britain and Ireland’s best against the might of the Southern Hemisphere’s big three.
It’s always an occasion that ignites huge rivalry, commitment, and emotion. Those selected for the Lions, considered it to be the pinnacle of their international career.
Willie John McBride
Lions Caps: 17
When we speak of Lions Captains, the name that most will mention first is Ireland’s Willie John McBride.
Fans who weren’t even born when he played know his name will be forever linked with the Lions.
McBride holds the record for the player with the most Lions caps having won 17 across 5 tours.
He was part of the squad that won the series against the All Blacks in 1971.
To this day, the only occasion the Lions have achieved such a feat in New Zealand.
Willie John McBride - Immense as Lions Captain. Image courtesy of Alchetron
He famously led the Lions to a series win in South Africa in 1974.
They played 22 matches on that tour and won 21 of them. He spearheaded a squad of legendary players like Gareth Edwards and Phil Bennett, in a ferocious tour that was not for the faint-hearted.
Tough and uncompromising, he was an inspiring leader and the perfect player to lead the squad on such a hostile and confrontational tour.
In a game shortly before the tests began, the now legendary ‘99’ call was used.
It was the signal used by McBride to trigger the ‘one in, all in’ response to any provocation from the opposition. It sent the message to the Springboks that the Lions would not be intimidated and meant business.
Since his playing days, McBride has kept his links with the Lions and went on to manage them on the tour to New Zealand in 1983.
In 2001 ahead of the first test for the Lions against the Wallabies, he was asked to deliver a speech to the players and present them with their match-day jerseys.
Martin Johnson
Lions Caps: 8
In South Africa in 1997 the Lions were to face the reigning World Champions, the Springboks.
The Bok’s had had some poor results during the 1996 tri-nations and were determined to get back on track by defeating the British and Irish Lions.
At the time, only the 1974 Lions and the 1996 All Blacks had won a Test series in South Africa. Even with recent results going against the Springboks, the Lions were seen as the underdogs.
South Africa is a tough place to go and win test rugby, so the Lions needed a leader to set the tone for the tour.
Although he wasn’t the England Captain at the time, Martin Johnson was the favoured man for the job.
A player with a hard edge who would give as good as he got, and would lead from the front in the toughest of rugby environments
Johnson proved the selection was right. He led the Lions to a 2-1 series win.
The second test saw the Bok’s throw the kitchen sink at them, but they stayed in the game through sheer commitment and tenacity. Jeremy Guscott sealed the win and the series with a drop goal in the last minutes of the match.
For Johnson, the tour success set him up as the obvious choice for Lions Captain four year later in Australia.
In 1999, he was appointed England’s captain and would go on to skipper them to World Cup glory in 2003.
Sam Warburton
Lions Caps: 5
It’s widely acknowledged that when you pick your captain, they should be the best in their position.
This avoids any selection issues. Sam Warburton was undoubtedly the best openside flanker in Britain and Ireland and amongst the best in the world.
He was already captain for Wales and with Wales head coach Warren Gatland in charge of the Lions, Warburton was the obvious choice to lead them in 2013.
He led the Lions to a 2-1 series win. It was their first test series triumph against the wallabies since 1989.
He was not an ‘in your face’ player but communicated superbly with his teammates and more importantly, with match officials.
And like Johnson and McBride, he led by example. He would go on and lead the Lions once more, this time against the New Zealand All Blacks in 2017.
It was a hard-fought three-match series. Warburton didn’t play in the first test.
The Lions lost but came back strong to win the second test with Warburton playing blindside in the scrum.
He played there again in the third test where honours were even, and the series was a draw.
Not many teams go to New Zealand and win, so the draw was something to be proud of and concluded an impressive record for Sam Warburton as Lions captain.
Cover image courtesy of Paul Trevillion
