Page 29 - All Blacks v Lions - First Test

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8 LIONS
Willie John McBride
8 LIONS WHO ETCHED THEIR NAMES INTO HISTORY
The Lions on the eld tonight are walking in the footsteps of legends. Here we
look at eight Lions who le an indelible mark during their time in the red jersey. WORDS: BRENDAN GALLAGHER
Tony O’Reilly (Ireland)
The strapping extrovert Irish wing was born to play old-style Lions rugby and was one of the outstanding performers on both the 1955 tour to South Africa and then New Zealand four years later, when he scored 17 tries to create a record that was equalled by John Bevan in 1971. Overall, in 36 Lions matches on the two tours, O’Reilly scored 38 tries with six in his 10 Test match appearance, including two in
New Zealand. The rst came in
the Dunedin Test when the Lions outscored the All Blacks four tries to nil but still lost 18-17 as Don Clarke landed a then-world-record six penalties. O’Reilly also scored during the Final Test at Eden Park, when the Lions pinched a 9-6 win.
(Ireland)
The only player in Lions history to go on ve separate tours, the Ulsterman unsurprisingly holds the Lions record for most Test match appearances (17) and most tour appearances overall (70). Three of those Test appearances came on the 1966 tour of
New Zealand when he locked horns with Colin Meads and stood out in an otherwise outgunned Lions pack, while Meads and McBride lined up against each other in all four Tests of the 1971 tour when the Lions won the series 2-1, their only ever series win against the All Blacks. Four years later came McBride’s crowning glory as he captained the Lions on an unbeaten 22-match tour of South Africa, beating the Boks 3-0 in the Tests.
DHL NEW ZEALAND LIONS SERIES 2017 // 29