For 125 years the British & Irish Lions have stood out as a unique emblem in world sport. They represent the best of the best from the four Home Nations, coming together every four years under a united badge to take on the rugby greats of the Southern Hemisphere. Lions tours embody a revered legacy that is steeped in tradition yet maintains a vibrant standing in the modern era. The Lions badge is a symbol of the ethics, values and the romance at the heart of Test match rugby. Every four years the rugby world's focus is drawn to a great red pilgrimage as the Lions embark on a brutal and exhilarating tour that challenges the very limits of their rugby ability and the strengths of their characters. They travel to the far reaches of the earth to confront the great powers in the world game - and the weight of history itself. Behind the Lions sees four esteemed rugby writers from each of the Home Nations delve to the heart of what it means to be a Lion, interviewing a vast array of former tourists to uncover the passion, pride and exhilaration experienced when wearing the famous red jersey. It is a tale of heart-break and ecstasy, humour and poignancy that is at once inspirational, moving and utterly compelling. This is the story of the British & Irish Lions - in their own words.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• About the Authors
• Bibliography and Sources
• Introduction Crusaders
• One 1888: Pathfinders
• Two 1891: Champagne And Travel
• Three 1896: Gentlemen in All Classes
• Four 1899: Manly Play 19
• Five 1903: Herald of Dark Decades
• Six 1904: The Kiwi Rover
• Seven 1908: Temperance Nation
• Eight 1910: Pupil Turned Master
• Nine 1924: Bennie’s Boot
• Ten 1930: Playing to the Laws
• Eleven The Lion and the Puma: The Unofficial Tours
• Twelve 1938: Twilight of the Sporting Gods
• Thirteen 1950: The Flying Lion
• Fourteen 1955: Lords of Africa
• Fifteen 1959: Kings of Rugby
• Sixteen 1962: Declining Fortunes
• Seventeen 1966: Land of the Long Dark Cloud
• Eighteen 1968: Learning the Lessons
• Nineteen 1971: The History Boys
• Twenty 1974: The Invincibles
• Twenty-One 1977: History in Reverse
• Twenty-Two 1980: External Pressures Apply
• Twenty-Three 1983: Months of Melancholy
• Twenty-Four 1989: The Comeback Kings
• Twenty-Five 1993: The Twilight of the Amateur
• Twenty-Six 1997: Glory Days
• Twenty-Seven 2001: The Nearly Men
• Twenty-Eight 2005: Blackout
• Twenty-Nine 2009: Old School Values
• Thirty 2013: Warburton’s Warriors