With one notable, and some would say pointless, exception, the British and Irish Lions have only ever been a touring side comprising the best players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

The Lions play Test series against the southern hemisphere triumvirate of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, and wearing the famous red jersey with the badge comprising the emblems of the four home unions is seen as one of the ultimate accolades for any player who qualifies for selection.

They were first dubbed the Lions on a 1924 tour to South Africa, adopting the name on an official basis on the 1950 tour to Australia and New Zealand. Since the tour to Australia in 2001, the team have been known as the British and Irish Lions.

Their two most notable successes came in the 1970s, with the peerless half-back combination of Gareth Edwards and Barry John inspiring the Lions to a Test series victory in New Zealand in 1971, before three years later pulling off an even bigger triumph as a 1974 party packed with talent deservedly won the four-Test series 3-0 with one drawn.

Since the game went professional in the mid-1990s, however, the Lions have won only one Test series, against South Africa in 1997. They were pipped 2-1 in Australia in 2001 and were then hammered 3-0 by the All Blacks four years later.

Oh, and that one exception when the Lions played at home? It was against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in 2005 as a warm-up for the tour to New Zealand and finished in a 25-25 draw.