The 1971 Lions created a lasting legacy 40 years ago and have since been rewarded with a long list of individual honours.
The class of ’71 will go down in history as one of the greatest-ever Lions side to leave these shores.
A stunning 2-1 victory over the All Blacks saw this particular pride become the first and so far only British and Irish side to return with a series scalp over the world’s most-feared rugby nation.
And their success as a team has perhaps unsurprisingly been supplemented by individual successes over the past four decades.
No fewer than 10 squad members have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, while an incredible 11 have been awarded an MBE, CBE, OBE or BEM in the years that have followed their famous triumph.
A further three players are part of the newer IRB Hall of Fame, while the squad has also been recognized at an administrative level with two party members serving as president of the Scottish Rugby Union and two more appointed IRB members.
Three of the squad have since coached or managed the Lions, with one of that trio having also been appointed chairman ahead of the 2013 tour to Australia.
Here is the list of honours in full for that unique band of Lions:
Players
Gordon Brown – International Rugby Hall of Fame 2001
Gerald Davies – CBE; International Rugby Hall of Fame 1999; IRB Member
Mervyn Davies – OBE; International Rugby Hall of Fame 2001
John Dawes – OBE; Lions Coach 1977
David Duckham – MBE
Gareth Edwards – CBE; International Rugby Hall of Fame 1997; IRB Hall of Fame 2007
Mike Gibson – MBE; International Rugby Hall of Fame 1997; IRB Hall of Fame 2011
Barry John – International Rugby Hall of Fame 1997
Ian McLauchlan – SRU President
Fergus Slattery – International Rugby Hall of Fame 2007
John Spencer – IRB Member
Delme Thomas – BEM
JPR Williams – MBE; International Rugby Hall of Fame 1997
Willie-John McBride – MBE; International Rugby Hall of Fame 1997; IRB Hall of Fame 2009; Lions manager 1983
Coach
Carwyn James – International Rugby Hall of Fame 1999; Rejected an MBE on political grounds
Manager
Doug Smith – OBE; SRU President
