21st Century Boys

Rampant Lions 9

AND SO, from 1888 and those pioneering Lions, we come right up to date, and, in June, 2017, to find the Lions again in New Zealand. Scotland, sadly, has not featured greatly in the Lions' parties during this 21^st century, but, since 2001, they have made significant contributions on and off the field.

SCOTLAND finished the 20^th century on a high, winning the last Five Nations in 1999. But, by 2001, as the Lions prepared for their second Australia-only tour, Scottish rugby was in the doldrums and there were few complaints north of the border, when only three Scots, all forwards, were named in the original tour party.

Tom Smith, following his South African heroics in the last tour, was now seen as the top loose-head in the northern hemisphere, so, it was no surprise when he bagged the number one jersey for all three Tests.

Tom Smith on the charge

He might well have been joined in the Test pack by young number eight Simon Taylor; more than one rugby writer had Taylor pencilled-in as a possible Test number eight, but, after scoring an early try, he was carried off injured during the Lions tour opener in Perth, Western Australia, and airlifted home, his tour over.

Big Scott Murray always knew, with skipper Martin Johnston leading the Lions for a second successive tour, he was playing for the one available boiler-house berth. He never gave less than 100% on the tour, but, had to be content with a place among the back-up “dirt trackers”.

Hooker Gordon Bulloch was not among the original selections, but, he got onto the tour as a last-minute injury replacement and came off the bench to win his Test cap in the first Test, which the Lions won.

Andy Nicol, second left - twice a stand-in Lion

Andy Nicol, meantime, in Australia leading a supporters' tour, got his second taste of the Lions in peculiar circumstances, being called-in to warm the bench for the final Test, when the Lions ran out of scrum-halves. This dubious honour came to Nicol, eight years after his last, brief Lions flirtation. So, Lion number 659 seems destined to go down in history as the man with the shortest of all Lions' playing careers.

WHEN the Lions returned to New Zealand in 2005, it was with a bloated squad of 45 players, led by England's World Cup-winning coach and former Lion Sir Clive Woodward. From the off Woodward declared there woud be a two-lane approach to this tour.

There would be a distinct Test squad of 23, the others would be the back-up squad, of “dirt trackers”. The DTs even had their own distinct coaching team led by Ian McGeechan and, captaining them would be Gordon Bulloch. Bullock and McGeechan did a remarkable job, the “dirt trackers” went through New Zealand unbeaten, while Bulloch managed to replicate his 2001 tour, by coming off the bench in a Test. But, this tour would go down as a disaster for the Lions.

Gordon Bulloch - led the unbeaten "Dirt Trackers" in 2005

It was certainly this for the unfortunate Simon Taylor, whose 2005 tour was even more of a heart-breaker than the 2001 one had been. In New Zealand, he was injured in training in the build-up to the opening game and flown home without taking the field in earnest.

Scrum-half Chris Cusiter was the youngest Lion chosen, but, coming off the bench in a pre-departure “Test” against the Argentine, in Cardiff, was as close as he came to the Test side, brilliantly though he performed with Bulloch's “dirt trackers”.

One other Scot got game time, big Jason White became the 51^st Lions' player on the tour, when he took the field against Auckland in the penultimate game.

Amazingly, Scotland had more back-room men than players in the 2005 tour. In addition to McGeechan, Dr James Robson travelled as team doctor, while Gavin Scott was the video analyst and Stuart Barton and Bob Stewart were among the physios.

NOT selecting Scots had now become almost the norm for Lions squads, and when the 2009 squad to tour South Africa was names, only two were chosen both were forwards – tight-head prop Euan Murray and Australian-born lock Nathan Hines. However, even before the Lions left the UK, the Scottish representation had doubled, when hooker Ross Ford and scrum-half Mike Blair came into th party as late replacements.

Of the quartet only Ford would appear in a Test, coming on as a replacement in the first-half of the final Test, having been an unused replacement in the second Test.

Ross Ford - our only Test Lion in 2009

Murray's case was particularly hard for the Scots to take. He was seen as the leading tight-head in Europe prior to the Tour, but, his club Northampton pulled him out of a pre-tour Lions “team bonding” and shake-down session, so, he was always playing catch-up and some believe his club's attitude told against Murray when it came to team selection.

Hines suffered a period of suspension during the tour, but nearly forced his way into the Test side, when the Lions switched him from lock to blind-side flanker late in the tour.

THE last Lions tour, to Australia in2013, saw Scotland again poorly-represented, with three officials – Tour Manager Andy Irvine, Dr James Robson and physio Bob Stewart being joined by just three players in the original selection.

Dr James Robson is every rugby player's favourite Scottish doctor

These were full-back Stuart Hogg, the youngest Lion chosen, but more-often used as the stand-off in the midweek side than in his normal position; winger Sean Maitland, who was an unused replacement in the first Test and lock Richie Gray, who came off the bench for the final 13 minutes of the third Test. Prop Ryan Grant, to almost everyone except the Lions' coaches, seen as the top loose-head in Europe, joined the tour as an injury replacement, but, he was an unused replacement in the second test and continued to be ignored or under-appreciated by Lions coach Warren Gatland.

AND SO, to the 2017 Tour, with Scotland once again scandalously under-represented. Only two Scots were chosen for the original party, Hogg, making his second straight Lions' tour, and Glasgow Warriors' team mate, winger Tommy Seymour, who is making his first tour. However, barely had the squad been named when England scrum-half Ben Youngs withdrew, after his sister-in-law was diagnosed with Cancer.

This threw a late lifeline to Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw. The Jedburgh man, playing for Gloucester, had limped out of the Six Nations, but, fit again, he was called-up to replace the unfortunate Youngs. But, with Scotland on-tour in the South Pacific at the same time, perhaps one or two more might make the tour as injury replacements – we certainly hope so.

Scotland's three 2017 Lions in their shirts