British & Irish Lions fans all over the world have been waiting since 1997 to see their team taste success in a Test series against one of the three powerhouses of the southern hemisphere and Sam Warburton’s side has the chance to end the drought.
Victory in the third Test of the 2013 tour in Sydney on Saturday will give the Lions a 12th series victory with which to celebrate their 125th anniversary. Here is the full list of Lions’ series victories and the winning captains:
| Year | Result | Tour Captain | Country |
| 1891 | 3-0 v South Africa | Bill Maclagan | Scotland |
| 1896 | 3-1 v South Africa | Jonny Hammond | England |
| 1899 | 3-1 v Australia | Matthew Mullineux | England |
| 1904 | 3-0 v Australia | David Bedell-Sivright | Scotland |
| 1950 | 2-0 v Australia | Karl Mullen | Ireland |
| 1959 | 2-0 v Australia | Ronnie Dawson | Ireland |
| 1966 | 2-0 v Australia | Mike Campbell-Lamerton | Scotland |
| 1971 | 2-1 v New Zealand | John Dawes | Wales |
| 1974 | 3-0 v South Africa | Willie John McBride | Ireland |
| 1989 | 2-1 v Australia | Finaly Calder | Scotland |
| 1997 | 2-1 v South Africa | Martin Johnson | England |
Six of the previous 11 series victories have been in Australia, with clean sweeps in two match series in 1950, 1959 and 1966. Will it be a magnificent seven over the Qantas Wallabies after this weekend?
The 16 year wait for a victory will rise to 20 if the Wallabies win at the ANZ Stadium on Saturday night, but neither 16 nor 20 are the record gap between series wins. Having won four of their first five series, 1891, 1896, 1899 and 1904, the Lions had to wait 46 years for their next success in 1950.
There was a 15 year break between Willie John McBride’s Lions’ fantastic 3-0 triumph over the Springboks in 1974 and Finlay Calder’s 2-1 win in Australia. Now Warburton’s men are seeking to end a 16 year wait since Martin Johnson’s 1997 side won in South Africa.
