| 1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand & Australia | |
|---|---|
 The British Isles touring squad | |
| Date | 28 April – 3 October |
| Coach(es) |  Alfred Shaw Arthur Shrewsbury |
| Tour captain(s) | Robert Seddon Andrew Stoddart |
| 1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary |
| ||||
| Total |
| ||||
| Test match |
| ||||
The 1888 British Isles tour to New Zealand and Australia was a tour by a British rugby union team, known at the time as the "English Footballers",[1] throughout New Zealand and Australia. Although a private venture not organised by any official body, this was the first major tour of the Southern Hemisphere undertaken by a European rugby team. It paved the way for future tours by teams which are now known as British and Irish Lions.
The team boarded the SS Kaikoura at Gravesend on 9 March 1888, returning to England on the same ship on 11 November.[2] While in Australia and New Zealand the team played a number of state, provincial, and invitation sides, but did not play any international teams. They played 35 rugby matches, winning 27, drawing 6, and losing 2. Only four of the touring party had played, or would play, for their country; Seddon, Andrew Stoddart and Tom Kent for England, and Willie Thomas for Wales.
They also played a smaller number of Victorian rules (Australian rules) football matches, but the side had no prior experience of this before arriving in Australia. The team's legacy was honoured in 2013 when the team, along with initial captain Robert Seddon, were inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.[1]
- ^ a b "IRB Hall of Fame 2013 Induction: "The British & Irish Lions and Australia"" (PDF) (Press release). International Rugby Board. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
- ^ Fagan, Sean (2013) The First Lions of Rugby Victoria, Australia : Slattery. ISBN 9780987500274