Saturday 3 June 2017 08:30, UK
On the eve of the first game of the 2017 tour to New Zealand, Sean Fitzpatrick, Keith Wood and Ieuan Evans run the rule over what lies ahead.
In Melbourne 2013, the British & Irish Lions made history by completing a series victory against Australia, now a new challenge awaits and arguably one that is considerably greater than the last.
From selection specifics to key ingredients, no stone was left unturned and some former British & Irish Lions captains also added their views.
Three-time tourist, Evans, highlighted one of the key ingredients required for a successful British & Irish Lions tour.
"Competition is the lifeblood of a successful Lions tour - playing your way in or playing your way into contention.
"You need that inbuilt competitive spirit to come to the fore whether it's in training sessions or whether it's in the games themselves."
Martin Johnson concurred that being a Lion is more than just being a great individual.
"People ask me what it takes to be a Lion and it's character. It [a Lions tour] can find you out… it can find you out as a player and as a person," said the 1997 and 2001 Lions captain.
"In a world when people talk about science, strategy and tactics none of that is worth anything unless you have a team. You've got to be inspired on this trip to be successful, you have to raise each other's level so that the team becomes bigger than the sum of the parts."
This tour starts with a meeting with the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians in Whangarei, live on Sky Sports, and Sean Fitzpatrick shared what he's expecting to see from the Lions' opening opponents.
"They are a very young team, not many well-known names, but they have been given an opportunity to play against the Lions and they will just want to earn respect really," he said. "They will want to put on a respectful performance and challenge the Lions."
Warren Gatland has selected a squad that includes six of the 2013 Lions in his starting XV and a further three on the bench. Jared Payne was due to be among the replacements, however a calf strain has ruled him out and Elliot Daly wears the 23 jersey instead.
"I think to play against the World Champions three weeks in a row, the first six games will work out who has got the bottle to go three rounds with the All Blacks," said Fitzpatrick.
"That's what it's going to be, tomorrow is supposedly not going to be a difficult game but it often can be. But, the next five games before the first Test will be hugely difficult and that's what we need in terms of rugby in general and especially for Warren Gatland to see which players work well together and can handle the pressure week in and week out."
Wood added: "It is something that is so rare and even though this is the toughest tour and a horribly tough tour - the chance to go on the tour and the chance to win on that tour is what every single rugby player in the home nations wants."
The task ahead of this touring squad is a colossal one yet one of the most important things will be to embrace that challenge head on and take wholehearted belief into the series, according to Evans concluded.
"What an opportunity - the Lions have only beaten New Zealand six times out of 38 games… What does that mean?
"It means that you have a great opportunity to write history, the Lions allows you to write history and be remembered for that."
Watch the first game of the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand live on Sky Sports 1 from 8am on Saturday.
