Never before had a British & Irish Lions side come from behind to win a Test series, but as they headed into the final Test in 1989, there was a groundswell of opinion that this could be their time.

Being comprehensively beaten in the first Test, suggestions of a comeback would have surely been laughed away before Sir Ian McGeechan and co. even made the return to Sydney.

But, after a

second Test in which the Lions fought back to a 19-12 success in Brisbane

, optimism had rarely been higher for a chance to make history.

For the first time since 1899, the Lions toured Australia solely, and while fears of dwindling attendances surfaced, a capacity crowd of close to 40,000 packed into Sydney on July 15, 1989.

Keeping the same side that had won in Brisbane seven days previous, the England-heavy pack – of which five of the eight came from – led a furiously tense game, with their power and energy levels noticeable long before kick-off.

“By the Third Test our confidence was high,” said Brian Moore in Behind The Lions. “I remember going off to warm up on my own; it used to take me a while to loosen up, but I stopped after five minutes because I felt completely loose.

“It was a feeling I never had before and never had again, but I was absolutely ready to play. It was not just a physical thing, but an inner feeling too. I knew that we were all ready and we were not going to lose that Test match.”