LIONS TOURS always evoke memories for those of us who have trouped around the southern hemisphere reporting on the day to day happenings, the matches, the great wins, the disappointing performances, the memorable individual performances.

Like much else in rugby, Lions tours have changed appreciably in character, if not in the level of intensity. Certainly, much has altered from the first Lions tour I reported on almost a quarter of a century ago.

That was the most successful Lions tour this century. The team, led by Willie John McBride and coached by Syd Millar, swept the Springboks aside, winning 21 and drawing one of the 22 matches played.

Reflecting now on the Lions tours I have been fortunate enough to cover, there is absolutely no doubt that the 1974 team was by some way the best Lions team I have seen.

Not only did it contain great players, it contained great characters and 23 years on, it is never less than a pleasure to meet those who participated in it. There has always been a special affinity between all those on that tour. The Irish players in that Lions squad were Tom Grace, Dick Milliken, John Moloney, Ken Kennedy, Willie John McBride, Fergus Slattery and Stuart McKinney. Mike Gibson joined the tour as a replacement.

The Lions team that went to New Zealand in 1977 was unlucky to lose the Test series. That side included four Irish players, Willie Duggan, who had an outstanding Test series, Moss Keane and Phil Orr, who both played in one Test, and Mike Gibson, who did not play in any. That was a Test series that the Lions should at least have drawn, but ended up losing 3-1 - the final one by a point.

The 1980 Lions in South Africa were extremely unlucky to lose the series. The squad endured major injuries, the first after just a few seconds of the start of the first match, when Stuart Lane was so badly injured that he did not take any further part in the tour.

It marked, too, the end of the careers of two Irish players, full back Rodney O'Donnell and Colin Patterson, because of the serious nature of the injuries they sustained.

It is a measure of the problems encountered by the squad, led by Billy Beaumont, a superb captain, managed by Syd Millar and coached by Noel Murphy, that eight replacements had to be flown out. These included Tony Ward, Phil Orr and John Robbie, O'Donnell, Patterson, Ollie Campbell, Colm Tucker and John O'Driscoll were all original selections.

The side won every provincial match and lost the Test series 3-1. Ward scored 18 points in the first test in Cape Town, a record for a Lions player in a Test match that has still not been beaten.

The Lions lost the first Test 26-22 and were extremely unfortunate to have lost. They were well beaten in the second in Bloemfontein. In the third, a lack of concentration by Clive Woodward cost the match which was lost 12-10 and in the final test in Pretoria, the Lions won 17-13. Campbell and Robbie formed the halfback combination that day, and O'Driscoll and Tucker were the flankers, with O'Driscoll scoring a crucial try.

The unhappiest tour was unquestionably the 1983 visit to New Zealand. That was the last of the three month Lions tours and was managed by McBride.

Even before the tour, a war of attrition was waged against the team captain, Ciaran Fitzgerald, by sections of the British and Irish press.

The Irish generally were fair game for the vitriol. The Irish contingent, it was stated, would be better off in the Dublin Zoo than playing for the Lions in New Zealand. Charming and that in an Irish newspaper.

The Irish representatives on that tour were Fitzgerald, Hugo MacNeill, Trevor Ringland, Michael Kiernan, Ollie Campbell and John O'Driscoll. Donal Lenihan, an original selection but forced out on the eve of the tour because of a hernia, and Gerry McLoughlin subsequently joined as replacements.

The Lions could and should have won the first Test in Christchurch. An injury to Terry Holmes proved costly and Welsh centre Robert Ackerman threw away a gilt edged try chance. The Lions lost 16-12.

In the second Test in Wellington, played in a gale, the Lions lost 9-0 and failed to make anything of the wind in the second half. The third Test was played in Dunedin in the worst conditions I have ever seen - a flooded pitch and freezing cold. The Lions led for a while in that match and scored two tries to New Zealand's one but lost 15-8 as Alan Hewson kicked three penalty goals and a conversion. Indeed his kicking was crucial in the series.

In the fourth Test, the Lions were overwhelmed in Auckland by 38-6 and so the tour ended in a whitewash.

With the proposed tour to South Africa in 1986 cancelled, the next Lions tour was to Australia in 1989. Previously, Lions visits to Australia were undertaken during the tours to New Zealand. By 1989, however, Australian rugby was deemed sufficiently strong to warrant separate tours.

Ireland's representation on that tour to Australia was confined to four players. They were Paul Dean, Brendan Mullin, Steve Smith and Lenihan. Unfortunately, Dean sustained a knee injury in the first match that ended his career Mull in played in the first Test which the Lions lost, but they went on to win the series by winning the second and third Tests.

Their approach, notably in the second Test, was, to say the least, over physical, and they did not endear themselves to the Australian public or Australia's then coach Bob Dwyer. Lenihan was an excellent captain of the midweek team which went through the tour unbeaten.

Ireland had two representatives on the 1993 tour to New Zealand, Mick Galwey and Nick Popplewell, while Vincent Cunningham and Richard Wallace joined the tour as replacements.

The Lions lost the series 2-1, being robbed by an appalling decision by the referee in injury time in the first Test. They played superbly to win the second Test and then lost the series when New Zealand deservedly won the third Test. Popplewell played in all three tests and had a magnificent tour.

Reflecting now on the Lions teams I have seen, I will indulge myself by selecting a team from those tours. I emphasise that I must confine myself to selecting only players I saw play with the Lions, thus players such as Tom Kiernan, Ray McLoughlin and the greatest wing I have ever seen, Gerald Davies, are not eligible.

No doubt who would be full back, J P R Williams, and I would have Ieuan Evans on the right wing with J J Williams on the left. Gibson, although he did not play in a Test in 1974, would be an automatic choice at centre as I have never seen better. I would have Jeremy Guscott as his partner.

The halfback pairing provides no difficulty, Phil Bennett and the incomparable Gareth Edwards. I have a rich choice in the front row. On balance I would opt for Ian McLauchlan at loose head for his superb performances in 1971 and 1974. Bobby Windsor would unreservedly be my choice as hooker. The tight head berth would rest between Graham Price and Fran Cotton. On balance, I would go for Price, who played in 12 Test matches on the tours of 1977, 1980 and 1983.

In the second row it would be Willie John McBride and Gordon Brown, the 1974 combination and who also played together in the third and fourth tests in 1971.

The back row also offers a rich choice. On the blindside I would go for John O'Driscoll, who was on the 1980 and 1983 teams and played in six Tests, at number eight Mervyn Davies is my choice; and I would have no hesitation in naming Fergus Slattery on the open side flank.

And to coach the side, unquestionably Syd Millar, whose strategy and tactical awareness were so crucial to the success in 1974.