Sir Ian Robert McGeechan OBE (born 30 October 1946) was knighted in the January 2010 new years honours list for services to sport and in particular rugby union. He is a former rugby union player and coach. Known fondly as “Geech”.
He played for Headingley and made his début for Scotland in 1972, winning thirty-two [...]
British Lions
A combined touring side comprising players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, the team has been known as the British Isles and the British Lions, but now play under the name British and Irish Lions. For the latest news on the Lions see below:
British and Irish Lions News
We thought you would all enjoy the following compilation of highlights from the 2009 British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa.
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The character and attitude shown by the 2009 squad has reignited the flame of the Lions and we now look forward to the [...]
The 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand, saw the red shirt carry sponsors Zurich Financial Services on the torso and has shown that even in the professional era there is a place for the Lions, as an estimated 30,000 fans travelled down under. The tour left with high expectations managed by former England international Bill [...]
In 2001 the Lions toured to Australia, the side was sponsored by the cable company NTL and their logo was on the torsos of the usual red shirt. Times had changed as this tour saw the Lions coached by a New Zealander Graham Henry, who was the coach of Wales. Captain Martin Johnson, became the [...]
1997 tour to South Africa first in the professional era
The 1997 tour to South Africa was the first in the professional era and Scottish Provident was the main sponsor with their logo on the red shirt. This was the tour that cemented the name of coach Ian McGeechan as a top coach. The team was led by Martin Johnson and no one expected [...]
The 1993 Lions tour to New Zealand was the last tour before the game went fully professional. The team was captained by Gavin Hastings, coached for the second time by Ian McGeechan and managed by Geoff Cooke, the Lions looked to have an even chance when they set off for the southern hemisphere. However they [...]
The 1989 Tour to Australia was a first for the Lions as all previous trips down under had included New Zealand in the itinerary. The schedule had also been trimmed further, to just 12 matches, and Australia had been deemed worthy of hosting an entire tour for the first time in exactly 90 years. Another [...]
The 1983 tour to New Zealand captained by Ireland’s Triple Crown winner Ciaran Fitzgerald, coached by Jim Telfer and managed by Willie John McBride suffered from some strange selections and an itinerary of frightening intensity plus the usual long line of casualties. Roy Laidlaw, taking over at scrum-half after the loss of first Terry Holmes [...]
1980 South Africa apartheid tour
The 1980 tour to South Africa was always going to be a tough call as it went without the support of the Government and was opposed by various factions against apartheid. The tour was approved however by the Home Unions. This tour was the first of the short tours playing just 18 games over 10 [...]
The 1977 tour returned to New Zealand with high hopes of emulating the feats of 1971. Led by the great Phil Bennett, coached by 1971 captain John Dawes and managed by the respected Scot George Burrell, the Lions had the talent to repeat their predecessors’ success. However, a combination of factors condemned them to a [...]
The first Lions tour took place in 1888, when players from the combined rugby union sides of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland toured the Southern Hemisphere, playing against invitational teams in New Zealand and Australia, this is often not referred to as an official tour, but it is where it all started, after it was a commerical success.
