Battling the Lions: Rugby changes but tours still special

Wilson Whineray leads his side out in the second test in 1959.

There is no doubt that the Lions have been the most welcomed and enjoyed of all our rugby opponents. In part, this is due to the infrequency of visits, but perhaps more to the intriguing cocktail that is thrown together when the finest players from four nations come together for one tour.

The great thing about the Lions is the freshness that they bring. They keep changing and bobbing up every few years - that's one of the great joys they bring to rugby.

On occasions, in the past, players have not always blended smoothly, coming from distant and varied clubs and differing backgrounds. This will not be a problem today as the players are all professionals and bring this discipline to their work. Further, many of them play together in clubs throughout Britain and Ireland and mix socially at game's end.

There could be more of a problem with the size of the squad. In 1959 the Lions brought 30 players to play 31 games in Australia and New Zealand. There was a manager and a secretary but no coach. Even by the more relaxed standards of amateur rugby this was unusual and totally foolish.

The 2005 party at this stage comprises 44 players. The Lions will play only 11 games on tour. The point about player numbers and games is that players come together on the field and they need to experience pressure, stress, triumph and tragedies together to develop the unshakeable team spirit that ignites top teams.

Many in the squad will play few games. Indeed in my playing days the only grumbles I heard was from players who didn't think they were getting enough match play.

The 1959 series I was privileged to play in was a wonderful series of matches and three of the four tests were won by three points or less.

There was nothing between the teams; it was a memory I will never lose.

They were a team of solid, no-frills forwards with world-class locks in Bill Mulcahy and Rhys Williams, well supported by props Gordon Wood and Ray Prosser and loose forwards John Faull, Noel Murphy and Haydn Murphy.

Behind the scrum lurked the finest set of backs I ever played against, a number of them well-regarded track speedsters prepared to attack from anywhere when they found space.

Fullback Ken Scotland, first five-eighth Bev Risman and halfback Dickie Jeeps would find a place in most teams, but the stars were the outer backs of Peter Jackson, David Hewitt and Tony O'Reilly. They were brilliant.

Overall, we had an edge in the forwards and they were a stronger unit behind the scrum.

The first test was the "penalty test" with the All Blacks winning 18 (six penalties) to 17 (four tries, a conversion and a penalty). It wasn't the way I would have chosen to win, but you play in real time, minute by minute and grab whatever points you can along the way.

The second and third tests went well for us and the fourth never really came alive as a spectacle. Late in the game, with the Lions leading 9-6, Clarke missed a relatively easy penalty and I heard many in the crowd weren't disappointed with this. The series could happily have been tied.

The 2005 Lions team will be formidable, but face the difficulty of coming together quickly as the squad is big and there are few warm-up games. We can face them with confidence. If the All Blacks can recapture the form of the late 2004 tour, I predict a 2-1 result in our favour.

* Sir Wilson Whineray played 77 matches for the All Blacks between 1957 and 1965, including 32 tests. He was captain in 30 tests, including four against the Lions in 1959. He is joint deputy chairman of APN News & Media, owner of the Herald.