Recognising every Lion

In 2014, the Lions Trust met with the desire to bring all players together somehow, to create something to unite them, connecting the generations and providing recognition of each player’s contribution to the heritage of the Lions.

In the years that followed, the Trust began a very special project to bestow upon each Lion an official number, signifying the order they first crossed the whitewash in the famous red jersey, alongside a unique embroidered cap. Each cap is a one-off, hand stitched and bears the unique playing number awarded only to players who have played competitively, wearing the Lions jersey. Only one has been, and will ever be, produced with each Lions number.

In 2017 we began the process of tracking down each and every Lion and presenting them with their Lions number and cap. Watch this short video filmed in 2018 featuring Tom Grace (former chairman), Ronnie Dawson and Sam Warburton to find out more…

Lions Hunt: do you know a Lion?

We have currently capped 411 living Lions and presented caps to 87 family members of Lions who are sadly no longer with us, dating back to the very first Tour in 1888. Among them was the cap of Lion #5 Harry Eagles, which was presented to great-grandson Mark Jones last year. In this video Mark explains the process of claiming the cap, and how much it means to the family.

If you know of a living Lion that has not been capped please email trust@lionsrugby.com to get in touch. If you are a relative of a Lion and would like to claim the commemorative cap for your family, please read on for how to make a claim. In time, we hope to find a rightful home for the caps of all 835 Lions, so that they may be treasured and passed on through the generations.

Apply to claim a Lions cap

To claim a Lion as part of one’s family is something to make present and future generations justifiably proud and we welcome hearing from our Lions relatives. Recognising past Lions is an honour and privilege we take extremely seriously. We are committed to ensuring that recognition is awarded to the closest, genuine relatives of past players. To this end, we ask all applicants, who are not immediate family, to provide evidence of their relationship. If you have a Lion in your family and would like to claim their Lions cap, please download the next of kin verification checklist for details of the evidence required to support your claim.
Please forward your letter of application and accompanying documents to:
The 1888 Club
The British & Irish Lions
1st Floor
Simmonscourt House
Simmonscourt Road
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4
Ireland
Once we have verified your relationship we will be delighted to deliver the commemorative cap to treasure within your family. If you have any queries, please get in touch with the Lions Trust: trust@lionsrugby.com
On behalf of the entire Lions family, we extend our thanks to all those seeking to continue to cherish the memory of the Lions.

Our Uncapped Lions