The announcement of the 2025 British & Irish Lions squad made sobering reading for Welsh fans. While 15 players have been taken from Ireland, 13 from England and 8 from Scotland, just two of the 38-strong party – Jac Morgan and Tomos Williams – represent Wales.

This is arguably not surprising given the national side’s 17-match losing streak and a second consecutive Wooden Spoon in the 2025 Six Nations, but is it the lowest contingent ever?

Has there ever been a party that’s completely lacked representation from one of the home nations? Or does the spirit of the Lions mean that every country is represented on every single trip to the southern hemisphere?

Now that we know who’ll be travelling on the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia this summer, we’ve looked back at 17 Lions tours over the last 60 years (1966-2025) to crunch the stats.

Just one other caveat to add… In each case we’ve only considered the squad originally announced for each trip, so players who’ve joined touring parties later due to injury – or because they were members of the infamous “Geography Six” in 2017 – have not been included.

---

What’s the fewest players from a single nation selected for a British & Irish Lions tour?

All four home nations have been represented on every tour over the last six decades.

The smallest contingent from a single country during that time has been two players: Wales’ class of 2025 now join Ireland in 1993, and Scotland in 2009 and 2017, as the least represented countries on a Lions tour. Wales’ previous nadir was the five players they took to New Zealand in 1993.

There are also several instances of a country sending three players on tour: Ireland in 1977, and Scotland in 2001, 2005 and 2013.

England have never had fewer than five players selected for a tour: their smallest contingents came in 1966 and 1977.

Related: British & Irish Lions fixtures 2025

---

The changing Lions fortunes of the home nations: 1966-present

This graph shows the changing Lions fortunes of each of the home nations (by number of players on each tour) from 1966-2025. Scroll down to the end of the article for a full year-by-year breakdown.

 

---

7 facts about British & Irish Lions squads

1. England have the highest average representation since 1966, with 11.9 players per tour, closely followed by Wales on 11.0 players per tour. Ireland have supplied 8.1 players per tour and Scotland 5.7 players per tour.
2. Ireland and Wales have the upper hand when it comes to Lions captains. Of the last 17 Lions tours (including 2025), five have been skippered by Irishmen or Welshmen, respectively. Following Maro Itoje’s appointment as British & Irish Lions captain for the 2025 tour, four tours will have been captained by Englishmen, while Scottish players have led three apiece.
3. The highest contingent from any single nation was the 20 English players Clive Woodward took to New Zealand in 2005.
4. England were totally dominant from the ’90s through to the mid-’00s. On the four tours from 1993-2005, nearly half of the players selected (a whopping 49%) plied their trade at Twickenham.
5. Lions selections don’t always reflect a nation’s performance in that year’s Six Nations. England had the biggest contingent in 2021 despite finishing fifth, while Wales’ Grand Slam-winning 2005 team had half the representation of fourth-placed England.
6. On the five tours between 2001 and 2017, a mere 13 spots were taken by Scotland players. Wales and Ireland both matched (or, in the latter case, exceeded) that number in 2009 alone.
7. The most even squad distribution came in 1983, when Ireland, Scotland and Wales each supplied eight players. Seven came from England.

---

A breakdown of each British & Irish Lions squad by nation

*: country’s lowest ever Six Nations turnout

2025 (Australia)

England 13, Ireland 5, Scotland 8, Wales 2*

2021 (South Africa)

England 11, Ireland 8, Scotland 8, Wales 10

2017 (New Zealand)

England 16, Ireland 11, Scotland 2*, Wales 12

2013 (Australia)

England 10, Ireland 9, Scotland 3, Wales 15

2009 (South Africa)

England 8, Ireland 14, Scotland 2*, Wales 13

2005 (New Zealand)

England 20, Ireland 11, Scotland 3, Wales 10

2001 (Australia)

England 18, Ireland 8, Scotland 3, Wales 10

1997 (South Africa)

England 18, Ireland 4, Scotland 5, Wales 8

1993 (New Zealand)

England 16, Ireland 2*, Scotland 7, Wales 5

1989 (Australia)

England 11, Ireland 4, Scotland 9, Wales 8

1983 (New Zealand)

England 7, Ireland 8, Scotland 8, Wales 8

1980 (South Africa)

England 8, Ireland 5, Scotland 4, Wales 13

1977 (New Zealand)

England 5*, Ireland 3, Scotland 5, Wales 17

1974 (South Africa)

England 8, Ireland 7, Scotland 6, Wales 9

1971 (New Zealand)

England 7, Ireland 6, Scotland 6, Wales 14 

1968 (South Africa)

England 9, Ireland 8, Scotland 6, Wales 10 

1966 (Australia and New Zealand)

England 5*, Ireland 9, Scotland 6, Wales 12

---

Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.

Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.