Behind The Lions

For over 130 years the British & Irish Lions have stood out as a symbol of the ethics, values and romance at the heart of rugby union. To represent the Lions is the pinnacle for every international player in Britain and Ireland, and the dream of tens of thousands of avid fans who fol-low them. A Lions tour, undertaken every four years to the southern hemisphere, is more than a series of rugby matches played out on foreign fields; it is an epic crusade where the chosen few face a succession of mental and physical chal-lenges on their way to the Test arena, where they do battle with the superpowers of the world game.

Behind the Lions sees seven esteemed rugby writers delve to the very heart of what it means to be a Lion, using diaries and letters from those who pioneered the concept, to interviews with a vast array of players who have followed in their footsteps. In so doing they have uncovered the passion, pride and honour experienced when taking up the unique challenge of a Lions tour. This is a tale of heart-break and ecstasy, humour and poignancy that is at once inspirational, moving and utterly compelling. And it is the only story worth hearing: the players' own.



Stephen Jones is a multi award-winning Sunday Times rugby correspondent and world-renowned rugby expert. He is the author of several books on the sport, including Lion Man: The Autobiography of Ian McGeechan, Midnight Rugby: Triumph and Shambles in the Professional Era, and Endless Winter: Inside Story of the Rugby Revolution which was the winner of the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. 

Tom English is an award-winning BBC Sport writer and broadcaster. He won Rugby Book of the Year at the 2011 British Sports Book Awards for The Grudge, before claiming the prize again in 2016 for No Borders: Playing Rugby for Ireland. He is a co-author of the best-selling Behind the Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions.

Nick Cain is a rugby columnist for The Sunday Times and chief writer for The Rugby Paper. He edited Rugby World magazine for nine years, and is the co-author of The Lions Diary with Jeremy Guscott and Rugby Union for Dummies. 

David Barnes is a freelance journalist who specialises in rugby. Having been forced to retire from the game because of a knee injury he has covered club, pro-team and international rugby for Scotland on Sunday, the Sunday Herald, Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. He is the co-author of Behind the Thistle: Playing Rugby for Scotland.

Peter Burns is an editor and publisher, and is author of several books including Behind the Thistle: Playing Rugby for Scotland, Behind the Ryder Cup: The Players' Stories, White Gold: England's Journey to World Cup Glory. He is also the co-author of Behind the Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions, the bestselling When Lions Roared, This is Your Everest and Men in the Arena.

John Griffiths is Britain's foremost rugby historian and has worked as consultant on numerous books on the subject as well as authoring many himself, including British Lions, Rugby's Strangest Matches, Rugby's Greatest Characters, Behind the Dragon: Playing Rugby for Wales and Behind the Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions.



'Fascinating . . . both heart-warming and enthralling'



'utterly compelling' -



'comfortably the most interesting and entertaining history of the Lions'



'a magical history'