In 1968 the British Lions

British and Irish Lions

The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...

 toured South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. The tour was not success in terms of international results, the Lions losing the test series against South Africa

South Africa national rugby union team

The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...

 by three matches to nil, with the other match drawn. The Lions won 15 of their 16 non-international matches, losing only to Transvaal. The touring party was captained by Tom Kiernan

Tom Kiernan

Thomas Joseph Kiernan is a former Ireland international rugby union player. He won 54 caps for Ireland as a full-back between 1960 and 1973 and captained his country 24 times. At the time of his retirement he was Ireland's most-capped player, most experienced captain and record scorer in...

, coached by Ronnie Dawson

Ronnie Dawson (rugby player)

Alfred Ronald "Ronnie" Dawson played hooker for Ireland and was captain of the British Lions rugby union team on their 1959 tour to Australia, New Zealand and Canada.Ronnie was educated in St...

 and managed by David Brooks

David Brooks (rugby union)

David Kenneth Brooks was a Rugby Union player who played for the Harlequin F. C. in Twickenham, Surrey. He managed the British Lions on their 1968 tour to South Africa and presided the RFU for a short time from 1981 to 1982...

.

As well as South Africa, games were played against South West Africa (the future Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

, then part of South Africa) and Rhodesia

Rhodesia

Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...

 (the future Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

).

Unlike the previous two tours to South Africa (1955

1955 British Lions tour to South Africa

In 1955 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. The Lions drew the test series against , each team winning two of the four matches. They won the first test by a single point and the third by three points and lost the second and fourth matches by wider margins...

 and 1962

1962 British Lions tour to South Africa

In 1962 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. Overall the tourists played twenty-five matches, winning sixteen, losing five and drawing four....

), this British Lions team did not stop off in Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, to play East Africa

East Africa rugby union team

Established in 1950, The East Africa rugby union team is a multi-national rugby union team drawing players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, though the vast majority of these came from Kenya which has traditionally been the strongest rugby playing nation in this part of the world...

 on the way home. However, one member of this tour party was later to play against that team; in 1975 Peter Stagg

Peter Stagg

Peter Kidner Stagg is a former international rugby union player.He was capped twenty-eight times as a lock for Scotland between 1965 and 1970, including one cap as a replacement....

 was living in Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

 and playing rugby for the Ndola Wanderers RFC when the Tuskers

East Africa rugby union team

Established in 1950, The East Africa rugby union team is a multi-national rugby union team drawing players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, though the vast majority of these came from Kenya which has traditionally been the strongest rugby playing nation in this part of the world...

 visited and he played for Zambia

Zambia national rugby union team

Zambia national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union side representing Zambia. They first played in 1975 and now compete on an annual basis in the Africa Cup. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup....

 in their first ever international on 31 August 1975 at Kitwe

Kitwe

Kitwe is the second largest city in terms of size and population in Zambia. With a population of 547,700 Kitwe is one of the most developed commercial and industrial areas in the nation, alongside Ndola and Lusaka...

.

Squad

Backs:

• Barry Bresnihan
  Barry Bresnihan
  Finbarr Patrick Bresnihan was an international rugby union player. He was educated at Gonzaga College, Dublin.He was capped twenty-five times as a centre for Ireland between 1966 and 1971. He scored six tries for Ireland....
  
   (University College Dublin and Ireland
  Ireland national rugby union team
  The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
  
  )
• Gordon Connell
  Gordon Connell (rugby player)
  Gordon Colin Connell is a former international rugby union player.He was capped five times for Scotland as a scrum-half between 1968 and 1970. He scored one dropped goal for Scotland....
  
   (London Scottish
  London Scottish F.C.
  London Scottish Football Club is a rugby union club in England. It is a member of both the Rugby Football Union and the Scottish Rugby Union.-History:...
  
   and Scotland
  Scotland national rugby union team
  The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
  
  )
• Gerald Davies
  Gerald Davies
  Thomas Gerald Reames Davies CBE is one of the acknowledged greats of Welsh rugby, playing for the side between 1966 and 1978.-Biography:...
  
   (Cardiff
  Cardiff RFC
  Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
  
   and Wales
  Wales national rugby union team
  The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
  
  )
• Gareth Edwards
  Gareth Edwards
  Gareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey"....
  
   (Cardiff and Wales)
• Mike Gibson ((North of Ireland FC
  North of Ireland FC
  North of Ireland Football Club is a former Irish rugby union club that was based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was the first rugby club formed in what is now Northern Ireland and only two other clubs - Dublin University and Wanderers - were formed earlier anywhere else in all Ireland . It was...
  
   and Ireland)
• Bob Hiller
  Bob Hiller
  Robert 'Bob' Hiller is a former England international rugby union player.Hiller played at fullback. He made his England debut against Wales at Twickenham on 20 January 1968 and won the last of his 19 caps against Ireland at Twickenham on 12 February 1972...
  
   (Harlequins
  Harlequin F.C.
  The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
  
   and England
  England national rugby union team
  The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
  
  )
• Sandy Hinshelwood
  Sandy Hinshelwood
  Alexander James Watt Hinshelwood is a former international rugby union player.He was capped twenty-one times for Scotland as a wing between 1966 and 1970. He scored five tries for Scotland....
  
   (London Scottish and Scotland)
• Keith Jarrett
  Keith Jarrett (rugby)
  Keith Jarrett was a Welsh international rugby centre who played union for Newport and league with Barrow. Jarrett is most notable for his early appearances for the Wales national rugby union team where he set point scoring records...
  
   (Newport and Wales)
• Barry John
  Barry John
  Barry John is a former Welsh rugby union fly-half who played, during the amateur era of the sport, in the 1960s and early 1970s. John began his rugby career as a schoolboy playing for his local team Cefneithin RFC before switching to first-class west Wales team Llanelli RFC in 1964...
  
   (Cardiff and Wales)
• Keri Jones
  Keri Jones (rugby player)
  William Keri Jones is a Welsh former dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s who at representative level has played rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Cardiff RFC, playing at Wing, i.e...
  
   (Cardiff and Wales)
• Tom Kiernan
  Tom Kiernan
  Thomas Joseph Kiernan is a former Ireland international rugby union player. He won 54 caps for Ireland as a full-back between 1960 and 1973 and captained his country 24 times. At the time of his retirement he was Ireland's most-capped player, most experienced captain and record scorer in...
  
   (capt) (Cork Constitution
  Cork Constitution
  Cork Constitution is a club, based in Cork. It was founded by staff of the Cork Constitution. Since the paper did not publish on Sundays, the staff were looking for activities to pursue on Saturday afternoons. In the summer, cricket was played, while in the winter, rugby was the designated...
  
   and Ireland)
• Billy Raybould
  Billy Raybould
  William Henry "Billy" Raybould is a former international rugby union player.He was capped eleven times as a centre for Wales between 1967 and 1970, winning his last cap as a replacement...
  
   (London Welsh and Wales)
• Maurice Richards
  Maurice Richards
  Maurice Charles Rees Richards is a former dual code rugby international for Wales. A winger, he was part of the 1968 British Lions tour to South Africa...
  
   (Cardiff and Wales)
• Keith Savage
  Keith Savage (rugby player)
  Keith Frederick Savage is a former international rugby union player.He was capped thirteen times on the wing for England between 1966 and 1968. He scored one try for England. He was selected for the 1966 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand and the 1968 British Lions tour to South Africa...
  
   (Northampton
  Northampton Saints
  Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
  
   and England)
• Jock Turner
  Jock Turner
  John "Jock" William Cleet Turner is a former international rugby union player.He was capped twenty times for Scotland between 1966 and 1971, winnings six caps at fly-half, thirteen as a centre and one at fullback...
  
   (Gala
  Gala RFC
  Gala Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team based in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, founded in 1875, they play their home games at Netherdale....
  
   and Scotland)
• Roger Young
  Roger Young (rugby player)
  Roger Michael Young is a former international rugby union player.He was capped twenty-six times as a scrum-half for Ireland between 1965 and 1971. He scored one try for Ireland....
  
   (Queen's University RFC
  Queen's University RFC
  Queen's University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union team of Queen's University Belfast. Founded in 1869, it is the second oldest rugby union club in Northern Ireland . They originally played as Queen's College, Belfast and have won the Ulster Senior Cup a record 21 times...
  
   and Ireland)

Forwards:

• Rodger Arneil
  Rodger Arneil
  Rodger Arniel is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He was played on two British and Irish Lions tours - to South Africa in 1968 and New Zealand in 1971, the second tour as a replacement...
  
   (Edinburgh Academicals and Scotland)
• Mike Coulman
  Mike Coulman
  Michael John Coulman is an English former rugby football player and coach. He played at the highest levels in both rugby union and rugby league - a dual-code rugby international....
  
   (Moseley
  Moseley Rugby Football Club
  Moseley Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club, based at Billesley Common in Birmingham, that competes in the RFU Championship. The club was historically the premier rugby club in Birmingham, reaching the final of the John Player Cup three times in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
  
   and England)
• Mick Doyle
  Mick Doyle (rugby player)
  Mick Doyle was an Irish rugby union international player and coach.Doyle was born in Castleisland, County Kerry, and began playing rugby union at Newbridge College, County Kildare. He went on to study veterinary science at University College Dublin, who he also represented at rugby...
  
   (Blackrock College
  Blackrock College RFC
  Blackrock College Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club located in Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 by former pupils of Blackrock College...
  
   and Ireland)
• Ken Goodall
  Ken Goodall
  Kenneth George Goodall was a former Irish international rugby union and British and Irish Lions player and vice principal at Faughan Valley High School, which is now part of Lisneal College....
  
   (City of Derry
  City of Derry R.F.C
  The City of Derry Rugby Football Club is a rugby club, formed in 1881 in Derry, County Londonderry. They currently play in Division 3 of the All-Ireland League.The club's purpose-built facility is at Judges Road, situated just outside Strathfoyle....
  
   and Ireland)
• Tony Horton
  Tony Horton (rugby player)
  Anthony Lawrence Horton is a former international rugby union player.He was capped seven times as a prop for England between 1965 and 1967....
  
   (Blackheath
  Blackheath R.C.
  Blackheath Football Club is a rugby football club based in Blackheath in south-east London, now playing at the Rectory Field . It was founded in 1858 and is the oldest open rugby club in the world...
  
   and England)
• Peter Larter
  Peter Larter
  Peter John Larter is a former international rugby union player.He was capped twenty-four times as a lock for England between 1967 and 1973, scoring one try and one penalty for England....
  
   (Northampton and England)
• Willie John McBride
  Willie John McBride
  William James McBride, MBE, better known as Willie John McBride is a former rugby union footballer who played as a lock for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. He played 63 Tests for Ireland including eleven as captain, and toured with the Lions five times — a record that gave him 17...
  
   (Ballymena
  Ballymena RFC
  Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It is affiliated to the Ulster branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The club fields six adult teams and an under-20 team. In youth rugby there are under-18, under-16 and under-14 teams...
  
   and Ireland)
• Syd Millar
  Syd Millar
  Sydney "Syd" Millar, CBE, is the outgoing chairman of the International Rugby Board. He was born in Ballymena and previously played for Ballymena RFC and represented Ireland in the pack, winning 37 caps as a prop. In addition, he played 9 times for the British and Irish Lions...
  
   (Ballymena and Ireland)
• John O'Shea
  John O'Shea (rugby player)
  John Patrick O'Shea is a former international rugby union player.Educated at Lewis School Pengam, along with John Dawes, he was capped five times for Wales as a prop between 1967 and 1968....
  
   (Cardiff and Wales)
• John Pullin
  John Pullin
  John Vivian Pullin is a former England international rugby union player. A hooker, he played club rugby for Bristol RFC and captained the England national rugby union team for which he played 42 times between 1966 and 1976...
  
   (Bristol
  Bristol Rugby
  Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
  
   and England)
• Peter Stagg
  Peter Stagg
  Peter Kidner Stagg is a former international rugby union player.He was capped twenty-eight times as a lock for Scotland between 1965 and 1970, including one cap as a replacement....
  
   (Sale
  Sale Sharks
  Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
  
   and Scotland)
• John Taylor
  John Taylor (rugby player)
  John Taylor is a Welsh former rugby union player and current commentator. Nicknamed "Basil Brush" thanks to his wild hair and beard, he played as a flanker for London Welsh , and represented Wales 26 times between 1967 and 1973.-Rugby career:Perhaps his most famous moment was in the Five Nations...
  
   (London Welsh and Wales)
• Bob Taylor
  Bob Taylor (rugby player)
  Robert Bainbridge Taylor is a former England rugby player and past president of the Rugby Football Union. He is from Northampton, England, and studied at King Alfred's College from 1960 - 1963....
  
   (Northampton and England)
• Jim Telfer
  Jim Telfer
  James "Jim" Telfer is a Scottish rugby union coach and a former rugby player. A former headmaster at Hawick High School and chemistry teacher, he has won fame as a Scottish forwards coach who gave punishing training sessions to his players...
  
   (Melrose
  Melrose RFC
  Melrose Rugby Football Club, located in the town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders, is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world.-History:The club was formed in 1877 and was elected to full membership of the Scottish Rugby Union in 1880...
  
   and Scotland)
• Delme Thomas
  Delme Thomas
  William Delme Thomas is a former rugby union player who became one of Wales' best known rugby players in the 1960s and 70s. He joined Llanelli RFC in 1961 and was the team's captain when they won the league in the 1972-73 season and was also the captain when Llanelli famously beat a touring All...
  
   (Llanelli
  Llanelli RFC
  Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
  
   and Wales)
• Bryan West
  Bryan West
  Bryan West is a former international rugby union player.He was capped eight times as a flanker for England between 1968 and 1970....
  
   (Northampton and England)
• Jeff Young
  Jeff Young (rugby player)
  Jeffrey "Jeff" Young was a Welsh rugby union player who gained 23 caps for Wales as a hooker between 1968 and 1973....
  
   (Harrogate and Wales)

Results

	Score	Opposition
Lions	20-12	Western Transvaal Leopards (rugby team) The Leopards, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They play out of Potchefstroom at Olën Park as well as the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg...
Lions	10-6	Western Province Western Province (rugby team) DHL Western Province is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. The team has won the Currie Cup on 32 occasions and has the most supporters of any Currie Cup team...
Lions	24-6	South West Districts Eagles (rugby team) The South Western Districts Eagles, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They play out of George at Outeniqua Park....
Lions	23-14	Eastern Province Mighty Elephants The Eastern Province Kings are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments and are governed by the Eastern Province Rugby Union...
Lions	17-5	Natal Natal Sharks The Natal Sharks are a South African rugby union team that participate in the annual Currie Cup and Super Rugby tournaments. The Sharks home stadium is Kings Park. They draw most of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The Sharks are the current representative team of the Natal rugby...
Lions	32-6	Rhodesia
Lions	20-25	South Africa South Africa national rugby union team The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...  (Pretoria)
Lions	25-5	North West Cape
Lions	23-0	South West Africa
Lions	6-14	Transvaal Golden Lions The Golden Lions is a provincial rugby team based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The team was originally known as Transvaal, before changes to the political landscape in South Africa forced a name change to the Gauteng Lions, before again being changed to the Golden Lions. For sponsorship reason...
Lions	6-6	South Africa South Africa national rugby union team The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...  (Port Elizabeth)
Lions	37-9	Eastern Transvaal Falcons (rugby team) The Falcons, or Valke in Afrikaans, are a South African rugby union team in Gauteng province that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments....
Lions	22-19	Northern Transvaal Blue Bulls The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by their Afrikaans name die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
Lions	11-3	Griqualand West Wildeklawer Griquas The GWK Griquas are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. Their home ground is Hoffe Park Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as GWK Park in Kimberley, and they draw their players from Northern Cape Province. They were previously known as...
Lions	14-0	Boland Boland Cavaliers The Boland Cavaliers , are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
Lions	6-11	South Africa South Africa national rugby union team The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...  (Cape Town)
Lions	26-6	Border Border Bulldogs The Border Bulldogs are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Border Rugby Union and are based in East London....
Lions	9-3	Orange Free State Free State Cheetahs The Free State Cheetahs , currently named the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, for sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Free State Rugby Union and are based at the 37,076-capacity Vodacom Park in...
Lions	40-12	North East Cape
Lions	6-19	South Africa South Africa national rugby union team The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental... (Johannesburg)