Battling the Lions: The man from the primeval ooze

In photographic terms, Fran Cotton  is perhaps the most famous Lion of them all. There he stands, caked in liquid mud from head to toe, amid the muck of a saturated Wellington pitch during the 1977 Lions match against New Zealand Juniors.

Herald journalist Terry McLean described the sludge at Athletic Park during that awful winter as a "primeval ooze."

In the famous photo, Cotton is seen crouched forward, all but oblivious to the appalling conditions, awaiting the lineout throw. If ever a picture defined a man, this was it. Cotton was one of the greatest warriors of English and Lions rugby, touring South Africa in 1974 and New Zealand in 1977, playing in seven of the eight tests on those tours.

He was a formidable front-row forward, a prop of resolute physical and mental proportions. And it is the mental side of the preparation which Cotton focuses upon when he discusses the 2005 Lions. He believes the selection has been excellent, but now other factors will kick in.

"You need people of strong character down in New Zealand. People who will enjoy the challenge, because that will come not just on a Wednesday and Saturday but every day of the week.

You want people to meet and enjoy that challenge, in other words, you need warriors down there.

"I loved my tour of New Zealand in 1977. We were unlucky with the weather but it was a great place to tour with great people. The rugby was tough, but why go there if you don't expect that? It was a wonderfully enjoyable experience and we had great hospitality. It was a real challenge every day we were there."

Cotton saysthat a tour of New Zealand is so intrinsically different to South Africa that it is impossible to say one or the other is the toughest Southern Hemisphere destination for the Lions. "South Africa presents different problems. The conditions are very different for a start: you encounter blue skies, altitude and hard grounds, whereas New Zealand conditions are like home. But in New Zealand, you have got to adjust to their intensity."

And Cotton's forecast for the series? "Two-one to the Lions. They will not start as favourites, but with the little bit of luck you always need on these tours, I think they can do it.

The key thing is if we can get to the tests without many serious injuries. If we can do that and our key men are fit, I think we can do it. But it will be a cracking series, a great one. I'm certain of that."

Player Snapshot - Fran Cotton

* Played 3 tests in 1977.
* Was key figure in Lions' victory over the Springboks in 1974.
* Illness cut short his tour to South Africa in 1980.
* Played 31 times for England.