Opposing captains Ronnie Dawson and Wilson Whineray lead their sides out for the first Test in New Zealand in 1959

Scrum-half Dicky Jeeps clears the ball against Northern Transvaal on the 1962 South Africa tour

Captain Mike Campbell-Lamerton in action in the first Test against Australia on the 1966 tour

Barry John helps guide the 1971 Lions to a stunning series win in New Zealand

Gareth Edwards celebrates victory with the "invincible" 1974 Lions in South Africa

The 1974 Lions enjoyed themselves on and off the pitch

The 1977 tourists get down and dirty in New Zealand

Captain Bill Beaumont on the 1980 Lions tour of South Africa

Captain Ciaran Fitzgerald with the struggling Lions on the 1983 tour to New Zealand

The Lions brawl with Australia during the fractious 1989 Test series

The 1993 Lions struggle on another daunting visit to New Zealand

Scott Gibbs and Martin Johnson celebrate the memorable 1997 series win in South Africa

Coach Graham Henry and captain Martin Johnson fall just short of glory in Australia in 2001

Coach Clive Woodward and Gavin Henson pose for a staged photo on the spin doctor-managed 2005 tour to New Zealand

Captain Brian O'Driscoll is stretchered off in the first Test of 2005 as the Lions crash to a heavy 3-0 series defeat

The second Test injury to Adam Jones proved decisive in the brutal, losing series in South Africa in 2009