Lions v All Blacks: By the numbers

NZ Herald

2 Jun, 2017 02:00 AM4 mins to read

Colin Meads took part in three Lions tours. Photo / Herald Archive

You will be bombarded with numbers and random stats by all manner of rugby anoraks in the coming weeks. Arm yourselves with these digits to ward off those troublesome know-it-all pub pests and prove that you know your Lions v All Blacks trivia as well as any pundit.

0: Changes to the 1983 All Blacks forward pack in the four-test series against the Lions.

1-0: The scoreline when Taranaki Clubs defeated the 1888 tourists in New Plymouth. Different time, different age, different set of scoring values.

1: Lions victories at Eden Park, where they will have to win at least once in 2017 to clinch the test series. The 1959ers won 9-6 with a dazzling display of running rugby, while the 1971 side drew 14-all on the hallowed turf.

1: Lions mascot still in the possession of former All Blacks captain Tane Norton, from 1977.

2: Fallen All Blacks from the 2005 series, loose forwards Jerry Collins and Sione Lauaki.

3: Number of inbound-Lions tours in which Sir Colin Meads appeared: 1959, 1966 and 1971.

4: Number of home test series lost by the All Blacks against sovereign nations: 1937 v South Africa, 1949 v Australia, 1986 v Australia, 1994 v France.

5: Tries by Shane Williams for the Lions against Manawatu on the 2005 tour.

Shane Williams scored five times against Manawatu. Photo / Getty

6: Number of props the 2017 Lions are bringing on tour.

7: All Blacks in the 1993 Waikato side that crushed the Lions 38-10 in their heaviest provincial loss on these shores.

7-6: The pockmarked tour record of the 1993 Lions, but they might have won the test series were it not for a tight call in the first encounter with the All Blacks.

8: Number of defeats by the 1966 Lions, the least successful, statistically, to these shores.

10-9: The final score, to the All Blacks, of the fourth test of the 1977 series, when No 8 Lawrie Knight scored his famous try at Eden Park.

11: Rating (out of 10) awarded by the Herald on Sunday for Dan Carter's display against the 2005 Lions in Wellington.

16: Number of England players in the Lions squad.

16: Tries scored by sprinter Ken Jones on the 1950 Lions tour, including two in the test series.

17: Lions' winning test percentage against the All Blacks since 1904.

18: The age at which a raw young wing called John Kirwan scorched the Eden Park turf to save a certain try in the 1983 Auckland v Lions clash.

John Kirwan walks off the field with Rory Underwood at the end of the match, won by Auckland. Photo / Photosport

18: The number of 2017 Lions making their second tour, while Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones makes his third.

19: Age of All Blacks skipper Kieran Read during the 2005 tour.

20: The 2005 Lions scored three tries in the opening 20 minutes of the tour. That was the best rugby they played.

20-0: Halftime score to the 1993 New Zealand Maori over the Lions in Wellington. They lost 24-20 to the Gavin Hastings-inspired tourists.

26: Total points scored by the Lions in the 1983 test series.

31: Age of Tauranga-born Jared Payne, a first-time Lions tourist, hoping to prove a few sceptics wrong about his place in the touring party.

38-6: The 1983 fourth test scoreline at Eden Park, in favour of the home side, making for the widest margin on a New Zealand tour.

41: Playing Lions named in 2017. The squad of 44 in 2005 swelled to 51 with injury replacements.

53: Test caps by Lions fullback Stuart Hogg. The All Blacks can also call upon two experienced custodians in Ben Smith (60 caps) and Israel Dagg (61).

77: Tests played by Jerome Kaino, the sole survivor from the 2005 tour, though he appeared only for Auckland.

81: The last test match for Justin Marshall when came off the bench in the third test of the 2005 series.