Victorious Lions stand on the verge of all-time greatness

GREATNESS: Watched by more than 90,000 supporters – a record for any Lions Test – it ranked up there with the most gripping Tests of the modern era. Pic: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland

It was the vastly experienced Ian McGeechan who best summed it up. In 1997 the master coach told his squad that, should they return home as winning British & Irish Lions, they would have a lifelong bond; that when two old teammates passed each other in the street, 30 years on, words would be superfluous. A simple look would be enough to bring their shared memories flooding back.

Be special for the rest of your lives, Geech urged his players. And, 28 years later, it is now the turn of the boys of 2025. To say the series-clinching 29-26 victory against Australia in Melbourne on Saturday was a remarkable occasion is to undersell it. Watched by more than 90,000 supporters – a record for any Lions Test – it ranked up there with the most gripping Tests of the modern era.