Has any Lions squad headed to the southern hemisphere without representation from all four home nations?
With the Men’s Six Nations over for another year, attentions now turn to this summer’s British & Irish Lions tour to Australia. The auditions aren’t quite over, of course, with Premiership, URC and European Champions Cup games still to come. But players from all four home nations are running out of time to impress Andy Farrell and his coaching team.
Having won a second consecutive Wooden Spoon, the Welsh contingent will be particularly nervous, raising a pertinent question: what’s the fewest players from a single nation ever selected for a Lions tour?
Has there ever been a party that’s completely lacked representation from one of the home nations? Or does the spirit of the Lions mean that every country is represented on each tour?
We’ve looked back at 16 British & Irish Lions tours over the last 60 years (1966-2021) to crunch the stats.
Just one other caveat to add… In each case we’ve only considered the squad originally announced for each trip, so players who’ve joined touring parties later due to injury – or because they were members of the infamous “Geography Six” in 2017 – have not been included.
What’s the fewest players from a single nation selected for a British & Irish Lions tour?
Nathan Hines was one of only two Scots originally picked for the 2009 British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The good news for Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake, Tomos Williams, Dafydd Jenkins and other Welsh stars is that all four nations have been represented on every tour over the last six decades.
The smallest representations during that time have been two players: Ireland in 1993, and Scotland in 2009 and 2017.
There are also several instances of a country sending three players on tour: Ireland in 1977, and Scotland in 2001, 2005 and 2013.
England and Wales have never had fewer than five players selected for a tour: England’s smallest contingents came in 1966 and 1977; Wales’ in 1993. However, given the side’s 17-match losing streak, there has to be a strong chance that the Welsh will break their national record this year.
The changing Lions fortunes of the home nations: 1966-present
This graph shows the changing Lions fortunes of each of the home nations from 1966-2021. Scroll down to the end of the article for a full year-by-year breakdown.
7 facts about British & Irish Lions squads
- England have the highest average representation, with 11.1 players per tour, closely followed by Wales on 10.9 players per tour. Ireland have supplied 7.2 players per tour and Scotland 5.2 players per tour.
- Ireland and Wales have the upper hand when it comes to Lions captains. Of the last 16 Lions tours, five have been skippered by Irishmen or Welshmen, respectively. English and Scottish players have led three apiece.
- The highest contingent from any single nation was the 20 English players Clive Woodward took to New Zealand in 2005.
- England were totally dominant from the ’90s through to the mid-’00s. On the four tours from 1993-2005, nearly half of the players selected (a whopping 49%) plied their trade at Twickenham.
- Lions selections don’t always reflect a nation’s performance in that year’s Six Nations. England had the biggest contingent in 2021 despite finishing fifth, while Wales’ Grand Slam-winning 2005 team had half the representation of fourth-placed England.
- On the five tours between 2001 and 2017, a mere 13 spots were taken by Scotland players. Wales and Ireland both matched (or, in the latter case, exceeded) that number in 2009 alone.
- The most even squad distribution came in 1983, when Ireland, Scotland and Wales each supplied eight players. Seven came from England.
A breakdown of each British & Irish Lions squad by nation
*: country’s lowest Six Nations turnout
2021 (South Africa)
England 11, Ireland 8, Scotland 8, Wales 10
2017 (New Zealand)
England 16, Ireland 11, Scotland 2*, Wales 12
2013 (Australia)
England 10, Ireland 9, Scotland 3, Wales 15
2009 (South Africa)
England 8, Ireland 14, Scotland 2*, Wales 13
2005 (New Zealand)
England 20, Ireland 11, Scotland 3, Wales 10
2001 (Australia)
England 18, Ireland 8, Scotland 3, Wales 10
1997 (South Africa)
England 18, Ireland 4, Scotland 5, Wales 8
1993 (New Zealand)
England 16, Ireland 2*, Scotland 7, Wales 5*
1989 (Australia)
England 11, Ireland 4, Scotland 9, Wales 8
1983 (New Zealand)
England 7, Ireland 8, Scotland 8, Wales 8
1980 (South Africa)
England 8, Ireland 5, Scotland 4, Wales 13
1977 (New Zealand)
England 5*, Ireland 3, Scotland 5, Wales 17
1974 (South Africa)
England 8, Ireland 7, Scotland 6, Wales 9
1971 (New Zealand)
England 7, Ireland 6, Scotland 6, Wales 14
1968 (South Africa)
England 9, Ireland 8, Scotland 6, Wales 10
1966 (Australia and New Zealand)
England 5*, Ireland 9, Scotland 6, Wales 12
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