The World Rugby Museum has recently opened two new Special Exhibitions, 'The History of the British & Irish Lions' and 'The Evolution of the Wallabies Jersey'.
News
08 November 2024
New Special Exhibitions launched at the World Rugby Museum
The History of the British & Irish Lions
'The History of the British & Irish Lions' examines the role played by the world's most famous and prestigious touring side.
The special exhibition features home movies shot by the players themselves, interviews with modern greats, objects from the original pioneers tour of 1888 and material from countless tours since, including match worn jerseys, itineraries, travel guides, programmes, match tickets, personal journals and Maro Itoje's 2017 toy lion mascot.
Selected from the best that the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh national teams have to offer, the British & Irish Lions have a regal history that can be traced back to 1888.
They began life as a commercial venture in an amateur sport but quickly became the rugby missionaries that helped seed Rugby Union in modern-day powerhouses like New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina.
The original tourists travelled by land and sea on epic tours that sometimes saw them circumnavigate the entire globe, playing competitive rugby matches in places as exotic and disparate as Colombo, Santos and British Columbia.
Donning their iconic red shirts for the first time in 1950, they entered the age of aviation and were soon joined by thousands of travelling supporters who bore witness to some of the finest rugby teams and players of all time in the 1970s.
In the modern age, the Lions have remained at the heart of the international game, with players from all eras describing selection for the team as the 'ultimate honour'.
Launch Event
World Rugby Museum Curator Phil McGowan said at the launch,
"The rarest and most unique object in this exhibition is the material from the first Tour in 1888 which includes a Lions jersey in very good condition for its age. That was donated by the family of Alfred Peter Penketh, the only player to have played for The Lions from the Isle of Man. At the opposite end of the chronology, we've got Maro Itoje's jersey from the 2017 Test and the stuffed toy he was a keeper of during that Tour."
Lions Chairman Ieuan Evans also spoke at the launch,
"Our past is something to shout about, it's something for future generations to enjoy and benefit from as well. Elite sport is about creating moments and enjoying them because they're all too fleeting. Those moments become memories and having those memories here for other people to be inspired by is really important."
Evolution of the Wallabies Jersey
Elsewhere in the World Rugby Museum, 'The Evolution of the Wallabies Jersey', curated in conjunction with Michael Fahey - author of a new book, 'The History of the Wallabies Jersey' - explores the forces that have shaped Australian rugby through a stellar line-up of shirts worn by some of Australia's all-time rugby greats.
The mini exhibition showcases ten Wallabies jerseys, from the sky-blue and maroon stripes of 1907 through to Michael Hooper's 2021 jersey featuring First Nations designs.
At the launch event for the two new exhibitions, Michael recalled attending the first Test of the 2001 Lions tour in Australia,
"We walked into the ground and two thirds of it was red. I went, 'oh my God, it's an away game.' Our tradition was you never wore a Wallaby jersey unless you earned it, but because of the supporter base the Lions brought, we realised we had to wear the colours. The Lions will certainly help raise the profile of the game in Australia next summer. They are as important to the nations they tour as the nations they represent."
Both exhibitions are included with entry to the World Rugby Museum and Allianz Stadium Tour.
