Provinces' Lions Tour records

Below are the provinces records against the Lions from 1930 onwards.


BAY OF PLENTY
It was not until the 1966 tour that the Bay got to play a a major touring side in their own right. It also proved their best result against a Lions side, a 6-6 draw, with No 8 Eru Beattie getting the only try of the game. It was a decent BoP pack, All Blacks Red Conway and Arthur Jennings, Maori representatives Jim and Manu Maniopoto, Ron Walker and Beattie, plus future All Black and Wallaby wing Owen Stephens. The Bay outscored the victorious 1971 side three tries to two in the penultimate game of the tour, but lost by six points.
RECORD:
1930: lost 25-11 (as Poverty Bay/East Coast/BoP combined).
1950: lost 27-3 (as Poverty Bay/East Coast/BoP combined).
1959: lost 26-24 (as BoP/Thames Valley combined).
1966: drew 6-6.
1971: lost 20-14.
1977: lost 23-16.
1983: lost 34-16.

NEW ZEALAND MAORI
Yet to beat the Lions, but they have come close every time except 1971 when Barry John kicked them to defeat. The 1959 clash at Eden Park was the ugliest game of the tour, marred by kicking and punching, and was the only match in which the tourists failed to score a try. In 1966, the Lions won by just two points. It was regarded as one of the more exciting games of the tour, yet reports talk of 58 lineouts in the match.
RECORD:
1930: lost 19-13.
1950: lost 14-9.
1959: lost 12-6.
1966: lost 16-14.
1971: lost 23-12.
1993: lost 24-20.

TARANAKI
Again, a 100 per cent winning record for the Lions, and Taranaki came close only twice, losing by three points in 1966 and five in 1971. In 1966, Taranaki had eight All Blacks; seven were in that year's All Black trial and it was a tough, dull forward struggle. ive years later, an outstanding forward effort gave the Lions a real shake. Taranaki scored two tries to one and came closest of all the provinces to beating that year's tourists.
RECORD:
1930: lost 23-7.
1950: lost 25-3.
1959: lost 15-3.
1966: lost 12-9.
1971: lost 14-9.
1977: lost 21-13.
1993: lost 49-25.

WELLINGTON
Two wins from seven games, in 1930 and a crushing 20-6 victory in 1966. Ken Gray was the most illustrious of six All Blacks in the Wellington team that year, the others being Graham Williams, Nev McEwen and Tom Lister in the pack, and Gerald Kember and Mick Williment in the backs. The Lions were ordinary, Wellington outstanding. End of story. Swap that line around five years later when the Lions produced one of their most glittering displays in New Zealand. Rugged Welsh wing John Bevan bagged four of the Lions' nine tries as Wellington were torn apart.
RECORD:
1930: won 12-8.
1950: lost 12-6.
1959: lost 21-6.
1966: won 20-6.
1971: lost 47-9.
1977: lost 13-6.
1983: lost 27-19.

OTAGO
No provincial side can match Otago's record against the Lions. Four wins from seven games, and in one of those defeats, in 1977, they were less than a coverted try behind at the end. The most convincing wins were in 1959 — four tries to two, plus 14 points kicked by Tuppy Diack — and 1993. That day it was five tries to two on a memorable, sunny afternoon, and an Otago team who included All Blacks John Timu, Marc Ellis, Stephen Bachop, Arran Pene, Gordon MacPherson and Jamie Joseph, plus Scottish international John Leslie.
RECORD:
1930: lost 33-9.
1950: won 23-9.
1959: won 26-8.
1966: won 17-9.
1971: lost 21-9.
1977: lost 12-7.
1993: won 37-24.

SOUTHLAND
At one point, Southland were played four, won two, lost two against the Lions. The southern men won 11-0 in 1950 and 14-8 in the opening match of the 1966 tour. Southland had three All Blacks — first five-eighths Robin Archer, No 8 "Ack" Soper and prop Jack Hazlett — who played all four tests that year, as part of arguably the finest of all All Black packs. It was a cold, wet welcome to the Lions and Southland were too good. The tables turned in 1971, 1977 and 1983, when the Lions ran in six tries on a sunny day, a record loss for Southland against an international side.
RECORD:
1930: lost 9-3.
1950: won 11-0.
1959: lost 11-6.
1966: won 14-8.
1971: lost 25-3.
1977: lost 20-12.
1983: lost 41-3.
1993: lost 34-16.

MANAWATU
Manawatu have been stuck in the NPC second division for 17 years, but were still in the first on the only occasion they played the Lions as their own entity rather than a merged outfit with neighbouring Horowhenua. Over the years, they have taken some hefty beatings, but pushed the Lions close in 1977, losing by six points, and 1983, when they lost by seven.

In 1977, Manawatu included All Blacks Murray Watts, Ken Granger, Doug Rollerson, Mark Donaldson in the backs, and Geoff Old, John Calleson, John Loveday, Kevin Eveleigh, Perry Harris and Kent Lambert in the pack — with Gary Knight coming on as a replacement. But they couldn't manage a single try. The Lions got four, making the game safe through halfback Brynmor Williams in the last five minutes. Six years later, the Manwatu pack was just as strong, including All Blacks Frank Oliver, Knight, Old and Mark Shaw. Fullback Mark Finlay scored by all four methods for Manawatu: a try, a conversion, a drop goal and two penalties.
RECORD:
1930: lost 34-8 (as Manawhenua).
1950: lost 13-8 (as Manawatu/Horowhenua).
1959: lost 26-6 (as Manawatu/Horowhenua).
1966: lost 17-8 (as Manawatu/Horowhenua).
1971: lost 39-6 (as Manawatu/Horowhenua).
1977: lost 18-12 (as Manawatu/Horowhenua).
1983: lost 25-18.

AUCKLAND
Three wins in eight contests against the Lions puts Auckland second to Otago in terms of success rate against the visitors. After comfortably beating the 1930 tourists, it was not until 1983 that Auckland bagged another Lions head with a one-point win at Eden Park, a Grant Fox drop goal four minutes from the end nailing a 13-12 victory. Auckland backed that up with another win, 23-18, 10 years later, courtesy of six Fox penalties and a John Kirwan try.

The 1966 game was rated among the dirtiest of the tour, featuring several bouts of fisticuffs and one all-in brawl in the second half. The British blamed Auckland; the hosts reckoned the Lions got stuck in from the first lineout. Irish flanker Ronnie Lamont, later named one of the Rugby Almanack's five players of the year, got the only try of a game made memorable for the wrong reasons.
RECORD:
1930: won 19-6.
1950: lost 32-9.
1959: lost 15-10.
1966: lost 12-6.
1971: lost 19-12.
1977: lost 34-15.
1983: won 13-12.
1993: won 23-18.