British and Irish Lions in Australia, 2013 Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who was head coach of the British and Irish Lions on this tour?

Answer: Warren Gatland

Wales head coach Warren Gatland was appointed as head coach of the Lions for this tour in September 2012. Gatland had previously been the forwards coach for the Lions in the 2009 tour to South Africa.

2. Sam Warburton was selected as captain of the Lions -- for which nation does he play?

Answer: Wales

Sam Warburton made his debut for Wales in 2009 and has made 38 appearances for them. He was made captain of the Wales in June 2011 captaining them at the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup and the 2012 Six Nations. He was appointed Lions captain in April 2013.

3. The first test got off to a dramatic start when Australian centre, Christian Leali'ifano, appeared to knock himself out while making a tackle. How many seconds into his debut was Leali'ifano when he was taken off on a stretcher due to this incident?

Answer: 52

Christian Leali'ifano was only on the field for 52 seconds in his first match for Australia after knocking himself out when his head hit Jonathan Davies' hip in a tackle. Fortunately Leali'ifano made a swift recovery and was able to play in the 2nd and 3rd tests.

4. Australia had a chance to win the first test right at the end. Who missed the penalty that would have given Australia the win?

Answer: Kurtley Beale

Australia had the opportunity to win the first test when they were awarded a penalty in the 78th minute of the match. Kurtly Beale, on as a replacement for the injured Berrick Barnes, slipped as he went to kick the ball -- resulting in the ball failing to make it over the bar and giving victory to the lions with a score of 23-21.

5. Which Australian player was responsible for scoring the only try of the 2nd test?

Answer: Adam Ashley-Cooper

In a match where the bulk of the points came from the kickers Adam Ashley-Cooper managed to score a crucial try in the 76th minute. The try was successfully converted by Christian Leali'ifano.

6. Like the first test, the second test was also decided on the final kick with a missed penalty -- but this time it was the Lions who missed the penalty and therefore lost the match?

Answer: True

The Lions had been leading in the match until Adam Ashley-Cooper scored a try which was converted in 76th minute putting Australia ahead by 1 point. In what was the final action of the game the Lions were awarded a penalty just inside their half but Leigh Halfpenny's kick was too short. Australia won the match 16-15 to level the series.

7. The shock omission from the Lions squad of which player for the third test caused outrage in the British and Irish press?

Answer: Brian O'Driscoll

Given that he had been captain of Ireland since 2003, many people expected O'Driscoll to captain the Lions for the third test after Sam Warburton was injured in the second test. His omission from the squad for the final test in favour of Welsh centre Jamie Roberts came as something of a surprise with many in the British media seriously questioning Gatland's decision. Welshman Alun-Wyn Jones was captain in Warburton's absence.

8. After two close matches the Lions ran away with the 3rd test beating Australia 41-16. How many tries did the Lions score in this match?

Answer: 4

Alex Corbisiero scored the first try after just 1 minute of the 3rd and final test. A series of successful kicks from Leigh Halfpenny saw the Lions leading 19-3 before a try for Australia made the score 19-10 at half time. A nervous start to the 2nd half saw Australia bring the score to 19-16 before a try each from Jonny Sexton, George North and Jamie Roberts coupled with some good kicks from Leigh Halfpenny saw the Lions run away with the victory, eventually beating Australia 41-16 and winning the series.

9. How many points did Leigh Halfpenny, the Lions place kicker, score in the three match test series to beat the previous Lions series points record held by Neil Jenkins?

Answer: 49

Halfpenny scored 49 points in the three match series beating Neil Jenkins' record of 41 points. The 3rd test also saw Halfpenny beat the Lions record for most points scored by an individual in a test. Halfpenny scored 21 points, one more than the previous record which was jointly held by Jonny Wilkinson and Stephen Jones.

10. The Lions victory in the final game saw them win the series 2-1. When was the last time the Lions won a test series?

Answer: 1997

The British and Irish Lions had not won a test series since they beat South Africa 2-1 in 1997. The Lions had not won a test series against Australia for over 20 years, last beating them 2-1 in 1989.

Source: Author HCR1

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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Here are 10 questions on the 3 match test series played between Australia and the British and Irish Lions in June/July 2013.

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