The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national team, although they can pick uncapped players who are eligible for any of the four unions. The team currently tours every four years, with these rotating between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in order. The most recent test series, the 2021 series against South Africa, was won 2–1 by South Africa.
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for their unmatched international success, the All Blacks have often been regarded as the most successful sports team in history.
Newport Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division. Until 2021 Newport RFC were based at Rodney Parade situated on the east bank of the River Usk.
Sir Clive Ronald Woodward is an English former rugby union player and coach. He was coach of the England team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He also coached the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, losing the test series 3-0. He is currently a pundit for ITV Sport, working on their coverage of the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup.
Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, CBE is an English former rugby union player. A fly-half, he played for Newcastle Falcons and Toulon and represented England and the British & Irish Lions. He is particularly known for scoring the winning drop goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final and is widely acknowledged as one of the best rugby union players of all time.
Michael John Catt OBE is a South African-born former rugby union player who played for the England national rugby union team. He played professionally for the clubs London Irish and Bath. He earned 75 international caps for England and played in two World Cup Finals, in 2003 and 2007. With his appearance in the October 2007 final, at age 36 years 1 month, he became the oldest ever player to play in a Rugby World Cup final. Since 2008, Catt has coached various rugby teams, and has since 2019 been an assistant coach for the Ireland national rugby team.
Warren David Gatland is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player who is currently in his second spell as the head coach of the Wales national team.
Fylde Rugby Union Club is a rugby union club based in Lytham St Annes, on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England. The home venue is the Woodlands Memorial Ground on Blackpool Road in Ansdell and the first team play in English rugby's National League 2 North, the fourth tier of the English rugby union system, following their relegation from National League 1 at the end of the 2017–18 season. There are another three senior teams, the Hawks, the Saracens and the Vandals who play in the English North West Leagues; respectively in the NW Premiership, NW1 North and NW4 North. There is also a Colts team. In previous seasons the Colts have played in the Lancashire & Cheshire regional leagues.
Robert Kearney is an Irish rugby union former player. He played for 15 years for Leinster followed by a 6 month stint in Australia, playing for Perth based side Western Force. He also played over a decade for the Ireland national rugby union team with whom he earned 95 caps, and went on two British & Irish Lions tours in 2009 and 2013. As a youth he also played rugby union for Clongowes Wood College and Gaelic football for Louth in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship.
Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Leinster Rugby and Ireland, captaining both teams. He also represented the British & Irish Lions on their 2013 and 2017 tours, and has scored over 1,000 points in his international career, making him one of the highest points-scorers in rugby union history.
In 1955 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. The Lions drew the test series against South Africa, each team winning two of the four matches. They won the first test by a single point and the third by three points and lost the second and fourth matches by wider margins. As well as South Africa, the tour included a match against South West Africa, two games against Rhodesia and one versus East Africa.
Stephen Leigh Halfpenny is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a fullback or wing for the Scarlets, Wales and the British & Irish Lions. Halfpenny is the third highest points scorer for Wales after Neil Jenkins and Stephen Jones.
Daniel Biggar is a Welsh rugby union player currently playing for French Top 14 side Toulon as a fly-half. A Wales international, Biggar has also twice been selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions.
Birkenhead Park Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club operates five senior teams, a ladies team and six junior sides. The men's senior team play in North 1 West at the sixth level of the English rugby union system, following their relegation from North Premier at the end of the 2017-18 season.
The 1910 British Lions tour to Argentina was a rugby tour of Argentina made by a side made up of 16 English players and 3 Scots. The organisers of the tour named the team the "English Rugby Union team", but the host country advertised the touring team as the British Combined. The 1910 team has been termed as one of the three "lost lions" tours, and is detailed on the British and Irish Lions official website. For Argentina, this tour marked the start of international rugby union and the test against the Combined British on 12 June 1910 was the first test in the Argentine national team's history.
Jersey Reds is a rugby club based in Jersey, Channel Islands, that are currently champions of the RFU Championship, which is the second tier of English professional rugby.
England Counties XV is a representative rugby union team, formed in 2002, open to English players who play in the County Championship and the third tier of the English rugby union system. Players from the Premiership and RFU Championship are ineligible.
Cheslin Kolbe is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and for Toulon in the Top 14 in France. His regular position is wing, but he also plays at fullback. He has also recently featured at fly half for Toulouse in the top 14, and as a scrum half for the Boks. Kolbe was a member of the South Africa Sevens team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was a member of the South Africa team that won the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Playing at right wing, he scored South Africa's second try in the final minutes of the final.
Marcus Sebastian Smith is an English professional rugby union player who primarily plays fly-half for Harlequins in the Gallagher Premiership. He has also represented England at international level, having made his test debut against the United States in 2021.
William Michael Patterson was an English rugby union player who played in the Centre position. Patterson played club rugby for Sale RFC, Gloucester RFC, Wasps FC and Chiltern RFC, was capped twice for the England national team, and was a member of the British Lions team that toured in 1959.
