A group from Sandbach RUFC toured New Zealand in 2005 in support the British & Irish Lions on their endeavours.

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1993 Tour to New Zealand - Captain : Gavin Hastings In the history of the Lions, only one test series had been won against the All Blacks and only 5 test matches out of 32. This was sure to be the hardest test this group of Lions had ever experienced. The England coach Geoff Cooke was to manage the tour and Ian McGeechan and Dick Best were to coach. Their first decision was possibly one of the hardest they were to have to make. Who was to captain the British Lions in New Zealand? It was between two men, the England captain Will Carling and the Scotland captain Gavin Hastings. Both had tremendous credentials having led their countries at the highest level. Hastings finally got the nod due to his previous Lions experience and his popularity with other players. The tour party included 17 Englishmen, a record for a Lions tour. The tour began successfully as the Lions won their first 4 matches before falling to the might of Otago. They won their final game against Southland before heading to Christchurch for the first test. The match was a great disappointment with all the decisions going against the Lions. The All Blacks were awarded with a try in the first few minutes, which had been grounded by Ieuan Evans before the New Zealander Frank Bunce laid a claim. Hastings and Grant Fox then exchanged penalties throughout the game and with only a few minutes remaining an upset was on the cards as the Lions were leading by 18 points to 17. Then the final decision of the game cruelly snatched victory from Lions. A dubious penalty was awarded to the All Blacks which Fox kicked to win the game. The midweek team lost the two matches preceding the second test which put more pressure on the test side. Their captain was also injured and unwilling to play. However the management persuaded Hastings to take the field and thanks to his boot the Lions led at half time by 9 point to 7. Another penalty from Hastings in the second half and a try from Rory Underwood sealed the famous victory over the All Blacks. Again, the midweek match was lost to Waikato. The test team had to come up with something special in Auckland if they were to make rugby history and take the series back to the British Isles. However the All Blacks were not ready to surrender their reputation. Changes were made and the New Zealand side came away with an impressive 30 - 13 victory. The Lions were so close and yet so far. Article courtesy of Sport Telegraph. http://sport.telegraph.co.uk