New 10-part podcast series (an Auddy Original) delivers the inside track on the British and Irish Lions legendary 1997 tour to South Africa

‘Inside the Tour – The Lions 1997’ features interviews with Lions’ legends Sir Ian McGeechan, Matt Dawson, Scott Gibbs, Will Greenwood, Jerry Guscott, Austin Healey, Neil Jenkins, Brian O’Driscoll, Doddie Weir, Keith Wood and more

Respected rugby broadcaster Alastair Eykyn presents over five hours of storytelling 

Episode one – The Selection – available now on all major podcast platforms 

On the eve of this summer’s British and Irish Lions Tour, a new podcast series has launched providing the inside story of the most famous Lions Tour of them all; South Africa in 1997.

Inside the Tour – The Lions 1997 is the definitive story of a Lions Tour that has gone down in sporting folklore. With few giving the ‘97 British and Irish Lions a chance to win against the reigning World Champions, a disparate group of characters bonded into a band of brothers to upset the Springboks, inspired by a coaching team seen by many in rugby as the greatest of all time.

Featuring that legendary coaching duo of Sir Ian McGeechan and Jim Telfer, Tour Manager Fran Cotton and players from the successful squad including John Bentley, Neil Jenkins, Matt Dawson, Scott Gibbs, Will Greenwood, Jeremy Guscott, Austin Healey, Rob Wainwright and Keith Wood, Inside the Tour is the definitive story of the epic ‘97 Tour, told by those who were there.

The 10-part series includes over five hours of exclusive interviews with some of the finest storytellers in sport. Presented by respected rugby broadcaster Alastair Eykyn, the series has been published by London-based podcast producer and distributor, Auddy.

Inside the Tour leaves no stone unturned with recollections from the players, management and coaches on how the touring party was selected, the pre-tour bonding, the Test and midweek selection calls, the injuries – at one stage, a matter of life and death – and ultimately the strategy and motivational techniques used to bring down the Springboks in their own backyard.

As well as the Test Series result, the 1997 tour is remembered for the remarkable film: Living with Lions. Fly-on-the-wall documentaries are now commonplace in sport, but, at the time, the film’s makers – Duncan Humphries and Fred Rees – were blazing a trail. The film would end up inspiring a generation of rugby players, including future Lions’ Captains Sam Warburton, Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell. A full episode of Inside the Tour is dedicated to revisiting the unprecedented access that Humphries and Rees received and the remarkable pictures they were able to produce.

The series closes with a special tribute to one of the most popular figures on the ‘97 Tour; Scotland and Lions lock forward Doddie Weir. After being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2017, Doddie has devoted his life to helping others; raising millions of pounds for research into the incurable condition and support for sufferers, while staying unfailingly positive and upbeat.

Commenting on the series, presenter Alastair Eykyn says: “It was a privilege to speak to so many Lions’ legends for Inside The Tour. I know that rugby fans, not only in the British Isles and Ireland, but around the world, will love this podcast series. The ‘97 Lions have gone down in sporting folklore; a squad of household names, maybe the greatest coaching team of all time, the thunderous training, devastating tactics, and even the drinking was hard to beat. Not only that but they are a group of incredible storytellers which makes this series even more compelling and engaging.

“In 1997, I was just starting out in my career, I had a deep love of rugby but I didn’t have a full appreciation of everything the Lions was about: the tradition, the history, the characters. This tour just pushed me deeper in love with the sport as a whole, and particularly with the British and Irish Lions themselves. I’m convinced that Inside The Tour followers will feel the same way as I did after listening – and what better way to get into the unique Lions spirit for this summer’s tour.”

Sir Ian McGeechan, Head Coach of the ‘97 Lions who spoke exclusively to Inside the Tour for the series, comments: “Coaching the ‘97 Lions was the ultimate honour and I feel eternally grateful to everyone involved that the Tour went down in legend. No one who took part in the ‘97 Lions Tour will ever forget it. The memories will live with us all for a lifetime and are as fresh as ever 24 years later. Reuniting with Jim [Telfer] for Inside the Tour was very special and I hope the series rekindles the memories for rugby fans who lived through that Tour and inspires a new generation who might be discovering the special power of the Lions this summer.” 

Sam Warburton, Lions captain on the 2013 and 2017 Tours, was one of many aspiring rugby players to be influenced by the ‘97 Lions vintage: “Like many players of my generation, the ‘97 Lions Tour, and the fly-on-the-wall coverage of it, inspired me to become a professional rugby player. There are so many iconic moments; the training sessions, the tries, the characters, the speeches, the laughs, the tears and the drama of those Test matches: it’s all there. I’ve been lucky enough to experience two Lions tours and, as in 1997, for that group of players, they represent the pinnacle of my time in rugby. I look forward to listening to ‘Inside the Tour’ and reviving the memories that helped fuel my career.”

Four-time Lions tourist and 2005 captain, Brian O’Driscoll, speaking during the Inside the Tour episode on the Living with Lions, says: “I was at school doing my final exams and I remember us all gathering in the TV room trying to fight for the good chairs. It was our first real appreciation of the Lions on TV. To have it broadcast the way it was, in that detail, we got to be part of it:  you were on that journey and you were with them. It was unique to anything that we’d experienced before from an access point of view.

“The reason it was one of the great behind the scenes films is because it hadn’t been done before – it was just people being real. Making the ‘01 Tour, I look back and I could never have fathomed being part of it with so many of those players from 1997. It definitely lit something in me, where as soon as I became an international rugby player and a regular with Ireland the next Lions tour was a major target.”

Inside the Tour is a global Auddy Original podcast. Vodafone has partnered with the show in the UK and Ireland. The first episode of the series is available now across all major podcast providers. New episodes will be released every Wednesday and Saturday, in line with the 2021 Lions Tour fixtures. A full list of episodes, including summaries and release dates can be found below.

Episodes of Inside The Tour will be available on all major podcast outlets. For more information on the series visit auddy.co/shows/sport/inside-the-tour and follow Inside The Tour on Twitter @InsideTourPod. 

Full episode schedule and summary:

Episode 1: The Selection (Available now at https://podfollow.com/inside-the-tour/view)

Before mobile phones, tour call-ups were made by snail-mail. Stand by for some hilarious stories of how the ’97 Lions heard they’d been selected before gathering at the team hotel to meet their fellow tourists.

Episode 2: The Bonding (Available now at https://podfollow.com/inside-the-tour/view)

A motley crew gathered in Weybridge, Surrey; bolters, chancers, world class talents and troublemakers. They bonded over assault courses and trips to the pub. This is the story of how a disparate group became a band of brothers.

Episode 3: The Coaches (Saturday June 26)

The tour’s success is often credited to the management of Sir Ian McGeechan, Jim Telfer and Fran Cotton who employed techniques used across sport and business today. The squad was preparing for its biggest challenge.

Episode 4: The Midweekers (Wednesday June 30)

The uniqueness of a Lions tour is the schedule; midweek/Saturday, midweek/Saturday. The team you’re on is a major clue to whether you’re in the test side. It’s a delicate process and divisions must be avoided. At all costs.

Episode 5: Geech and Jim Reunited (Saturday July 3)

In an extraordinary hour-long episode, the Lions’ dynamic coaching double act are reunited to stoke each other’s memories of this epic tour. Sir Ian McGeechan and Jim Telfer are asked one question, and away they go.

Episode 6: The Injuries (Wednesday July 7)

An eight-week rugby tour is hard enough before considering the opponents’ size and strength, not to mention opposition brutality. Injuries hit crucial Lions players at different times. At one stage, it’s a matter of life and death.

Episode 7: The Film (Saturday July 10)

As well as the result, the 1997 tour is remembered for the remarkable documentary film “Living with Lions”. Its pioneering ‘fly-on-the-wall’ concept was funded by a fan who cashed in his pension. The cameras are everywhere.

Episode 8: The 1st Test (Wednesday July 14)

Finally, the Lions arrive in Cape Town for the 1st Test Match. They devised a devastating strategy; to take on the mighty Springboks upfront. The mechanics of the scrum are dissected as the Lions seek the lead in the series.

Episode 9: The 2nd Test (Saturday July 17)

A week later, in Durban, after Greenwood’s near-death experience in midweek, the Lions know Springbok retaliation is on the cards. Three tries to zero; this was a home banker. Wasn’t it? It came down to the final minutes.

Episode 10: “My Name is Doddie” (Wednesday July 21)

The series closes with a special tribute to one of the most popular figures on that tour; Scotland and Lions lock Doddie Weir. After being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, Doddie has devoted his life to helping others; raising millions of pounds for research into the incurable condition and support for sufferers, while staying unfailingly positive and upbeat. He inspires everyone he encounters.

Inside the Tour – The Lions 1997 Credits

Presented and researched by Alastair Eykyn

Written by Jonathan Overend

Produced by Jonathan Overend, Danny Garlick and Mark Sharman

Additional voices by Kenny Blyth

Original music and sound design by Lee Sparey

Executive Producer: Liam Thompson.

Executive Editor for NinetyFour19: Jonathan Overend.

About Auddy

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