(Entertainment-NewsWire.com, May 23, 2013 ) London, UK -- The Lions have won six of their eight tours in Australia (including when they were Great Britain), with an overall record of 15 wins from 20 matches with just five losses.
That’s impressive, particularly when it’s compared to the Lions’ success in New Zealand where they have won just one of 11 tours for a dismal 9% win rate. They were beaten on their last trip to Australia, though, going down 2-1 to the Wallabies. That was their fourth loss in their last five tours.
Warren Gatland caused a bit of stir when he announced his 37-man squad for the tour which kicks off with a fixture against the Barbarians on the 1st June in Hong Kong. Jonny Wilkinson was originally not touring – apparently he informed Gatland he wasn’t sure he was physically up to the level required – but he has now performed a u-turn and the Toulon fly-half is ready to make himself available should he be needed.
Brian O’Driscoll makes his fourth consecutive Lions tour and is the only squad member who toured Australia in 2001. Jonny Wilkinson could of course join him if there are injuries.
Wales’ skipper Sam Warburton will captain the side but surprisingly England captain Chris Robshaw has failed to make the cut. Successive Six Nations Championships from Wales highlights their strength and has seen 15 Welshmen picked with ten players from England, nine from Ireland and just three Scots. Controversially, just two fly-halves, Jonny Sexton and Owen Farrell, have been picked, leaving many to accuse Gatland of taking an unnecessary risk should injuries occur.
Coincidently, Warren Gatland once picked Sean Maitland for Waikato as a schoolboy and now calls the New Zealand-born Scot up for a Lions tour.
Three uncapped players have been included among the 25 named in the preliminary Wallabies squad. NSW Waratahs fullback Israel Folau and the Brumbies pair of Ben Mowen and Christian Leali’ifano have all been included in the group, which will assemble in Sydney on June 2nd to begin preparations.
Overall the Lions have averaged 17.75 points across those 20 meetings in Australia and have scored 51 tries. In total, 335 points scored and 195 conceded makes for a positive points difference of 140. That’s in stark contrast to their other tours where their totals make for bleak reading.
The Lions have lost 29 of 38 trips to New Zealand and 23 of 46 in South Africa with points differences of -289 and -84 respectively.
So, why do the Lions love it Down Under? Well, the England players have form for letting their hair down there. Former England captain Mike Tindall famously engaged in a dwarf-throwing contest surrounded by a host of beautiful women (none of whom were his girlfriend) during the 2011 World Cup. But the 2001 tour nearly saw Matt Dawson sent home in disgrace for comments made in a newspaper diary before the first Test.
The first clash this summer is at Brisbane Stadium and the Lions have an exceptional record in the city having won all seven previous Tests there. Melbourne is next on the map but the teams have only previously met here once when Australia triumphed. Sydney, the venue for the final Test, has seen the most action with 12 fixtures taking place there. The visitors have won eight.
However, the Lions have won only two of their last eight Tests on tour and went six games without victory before rounding off the 2009 tour in South Africa with a 28-9 victory.
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