LONG READ Iconic Lions moments of the professional era: 10-6

As the excitement levels crank up to fever pitch approaching Saturday’s first Test of the series against Australia, RugbyPass is counting down some of the most iconic moments in Lions history.

With due deference to the legendary teams of previous generations, we have restricted ourselves to the seven tours of the professional era since 1997.

Our panel of RugbyPass writers – featuring contributions from Bryn Palmer, Jamie Lyall, Neil Squires, Owain Jones and Pat McCarry – are jogging your memories with five moments on each day this week, before Andy Farrell’s men perhaps burnish these standout snapshots with some of their own.

Again, do let us know your thoughts on our selection, politely of course, and feel free to suggest other iconic moments of your own.

10. Bentley’s length-of-the-field try v Gauteng galvanises 97 Lions

It is almost always moments in Tests which stand out on a Lions tour but just occasionally something so extraordinary happens outside the series that it paints itself indelibly into Lions folklore. Step forward John Bentley.

A surprise selection for the 1997 trip to South Africa, the no-nonsense wing was not long back in rugby union having spent most of his career in league. The tour manager Fran Cotton was keen on tapping into the league returnees because of the professionalism and grit he thought they would bring. And the magic.

The tour was stuttering after a defeat to Northern Transvaal and the Lions were behind at half-time at Ellis Park against Gauteng Lions. The wheels could have come off with another defeat but after a converted try from Austin Healey gave them a narrow lead, Bentley’s wonder score sealed a vital win.

The king of Cleckheaton picked up the ball just outside his own 22, burned off two Gauteng defenders on the outside then cut back inside two more would-be tacklers on a crazy, weaving run to the line.

It was a mesmerising individual try but the context was everything, helping to put what would go down as one of the great tours back on course. (NS)

9. North gives Folau a ‘fireman’s lift’ in second Test in 2013

Many saw the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour as the first of the social media age. Going viral wasn’t really an option for the first intrepid tourists, captained by Robert Seddon, who set sail in 1888 with letters taking weeks to return home.

But 125 years later, with the clock having just passed the 60-minute mark, 21-year-old George North did something that set social media ablaze within seconds.

In broken field play, Conor Murray scooped the ball to Brian O’Driscoll, who cleverly flung a 15m pass to North under his legs. A blitzing Israel Folau was on top of the Welsh wing in less than a second.

In the subsequent wrestle, North managed to hoist the 6ft 5in, 16-stone Folau over his shoulders in a fireman’s lift and power forwards a full five metres before other Wallaby defenders were able to bring him down in a heap. “I got up with a bit of a sore neck,” North recalled. “It isn’t the most efficient way of going forwards.”

Lions fans in Melbourne went wild, with commentator Miles Harrison referencing the Scott Gibbs moment from Durban in 1997 (see No 11). In the aftermath, even though the Lions lost the Test by a point, the dominant topic of conversation in the hostelries post-game was about North using an ‘Izzy Folau backpack’ and social media was flooded with memes. (OJ)

You can watch the top 10 moments from the 2013 tour on RugbyPass TV.

8. Dawson’s dummy leaves Boks bamboozled in First Test in 1997

Dawson’s freeze-frame fakery enabled the Lions to come from behind to win the First Test in Cape Town in 1997. Trailing 16-15 to the Springboks with seven minutes left, the Northampton scrum-half decided to take matters into his own hands.

What followed was the dummy of the century.

Taking a leaf out of opposite number Joost van der Westhuizen’s book, Dawson set off on a blind-side snipe from an attacking scrum code-named ‘Solo’. He got outside one flanker in Ruben Kruger but there still looked to be plenty of South African cover and he might well have been eaten up by it but for the quick thinking of Ieuan Evans, darting in off the right wing. That provided a passing option – and an assistant for Dawson’s conjuring trick.

Shaping to bowl the ball over-arm inside to him, Dawson stopped Van der Westhuizen and Andre Venter in their tracks as Gary Teichmann jumped to catch the pass that never was. By the time they saw what was happening and reacted it was too late. Dawson was away, heading into the corner to touch down for a sublime, instinctive try.

The irony was that Dawson wouldn’t even have been playing had Rob Howley not sustained a tour-ending shoulder injury against Natal. But having been handed the stage, he stole the show. (NS)

 7. ROG’s rush of blood and Steyn’s kick breaks Lions hearts after 2009 epic

The Second Test in Pretoria in 2009 ranks among the best – and most brutal – Tests in the Lions’ storied history. To play so brilliantly and bravely, suffer such ill fortune with injuries and controversial calls, only to lose the match – and with it the series – to a self-inflicted wound in the final minute was the greatest heartbreaker of all.

Springboks flanker Schalk Burger scraped his finger across the eye of wing Luke Fitzgerald just 30 seconds in. Only a yellow card. Both Lions props, Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones departed with injuries early in the second half, centres Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Roberts following between the 64^th and 67^th minutes, leading to a major backline reshuffle and Ronan O’Gara coming on at fly-half.

But the Lions still led until the 74^th minute, when Boks centre Jacque Fourie scored a disputed try – was his foot in touch in the act of scoring? – in the right corner, only for Stephen Jones’ clutch penalty to make it 25-25 with three minutes left.

Cue the devastating denouement. O’Gara, head bandaged after an earlier collision and running from his own 22, launched a high kick a few metres into the Boks half and set off in pursuit, only to clatter into Fourie du Preez in mid-air as he came to collect.

Penalty South Africa. Morne Steyn’s winning kick, from nearly 54m, was never in doubt. Utter desolation for the Lions. Not even skipper Paul O’Connell, or the great orator Ian McGeechan, could find words of comfort for a shattered dressing room. (BP)

You can watch the full match replay of the epic Second Test of 2009 on RugbyPass TV.

 7. Robinson leaves Latham helpless to launch first Test win in 2001

If there was mumbling and grumbling that a player who had only been in rugby union for eight months had somehow been picked to be a Test Lion, it lasted less than three minutes at the Gabba.

That was how long it took Robinson to collect a pass from Matt Perry on the left wing, don his ballet shoes and dance his way past Australia full-back Chris Latham and over for the game’s opening try.

In he went, then out before accelerating off to score. Latham was left grasping at an artist’s impression of Robinson who had disappeared from the scene some seconds earlier. It was a breathtaking move and set the Lions on their way to a 29-13 victory in Brisbane.

A unique talent, his lacerating blend of scything stepping and speed was a nightmare for any defence – even the best in the world as Australia’s was at the time.

Robinson had already represented the Lions in rugby league before his code switch and he made an instant impact for the union version with five tries on his first appearance against a Queensland President’s XV in Townsville. He finished as leading try-scorer on the 2001 tour with 10 tries. (NS)