British & Irish Lions 2017 & Canterbury

“I absolutely loved it but it is terrifying in equal measure, I was torn between being incredibility proud because the Lions is your dream coming true to being frightened that you won’t do the dream or the jersey justice.”

Keith Wood is a man that isn’t easily scared, in his rugby career he hardly ever took a backward step and yet the chance to wear the Lions jersey made him question his own ability. That is the power of the Lions jersey, it tests the true greats of the game and pushes them to deliver beyond anything that they thought possible. 

This week Canterbury announced that they would be taking the reigns for the 2017 tour to New Zealand in terms of apparel and I expect that members of their team, in all departments, will be feeling daunted at the challenge. The opportunity to be a part of this great tradition is not given to many, be that players or partners, and those that are given the honour have to do it justice. 

The road to the first test on the 24th June 2017 starts with Canterbury's unveiling their commemorative British & Irish Lions jersey which is inspired by the 1959 tour. It is the tour that Keith’s Dad, Gordon Wood, played in and they are one of only a few father and son pairings to have been part of the Lions’ legacy. Keith also has three sons of his own and while he says that they are all sports mad and try their hand at everything he isn’t pushing them into rugby. As a parent he purely wants to see them enjoy, and get as much out of sport as he did, and if that means moving into professional rugby then so be it. 

Of course Keith’s most successful tour was in 1997 and anyone that has viewed Living With The Lions will have witnessed some of the experiences that he was part of. It was the tour in which the Lions weren’t given a chance and one in which they excelled under the ultimate pressure. Keith shared his memories and thoughts on the man whose speeches still send tingles down all of our spines;

“I’ve been asked about Ian afterwards, would I say that he is the best technical coach? No, there are better technical coaches. However he just hit the nail on the head. A lot of things date and a lot of things change but the level of emotion that was in his words and speeches in the changing room was very real. None of that was staged, it is funny when you think that you have got a camera with you and you wonder how much is done for the camera. But in honesty the guys used long lenses a lot of the time they and they were unobtrusive so you’d forget that they were there.”

The Lions remains the pinnacle of our sport, the opportunity to put on that red jersey is given to a few in their lifetime and galvanises four nations. For players like Keith, it brought together fierce rivals and provided indelible friendships for life. Of all the Lions’ memories Keith shared one that epitomised the strength of being a British and Irish Lion and the power of the jersey that Canterbury will be delivering in 2017; 

(C) Getty Images

“I have a memory of getting injured and whinging. I think it was in the first test in South Africa. I played on and I was still whinging and a ruck went over the top of me and I was down at the bottom of the ruck and I was thinking ‘I could go off now, don’t think anyone would fault me for going off now I'm in agony anyway’. It was pure weakness, nothing but mental weakness and Scott Gibbs caught my eye and he shouted out me ‘will you get up, back in the line and make the next tackle’ and I was standing beside him before I knew it. He said to me afterwards that he saw the doubt in my eyes, that I was chickening out. That’s not a great memory yet it is a great memory, within three or four weeks to get it in the glint of an eye…”

The predicted XVs have already started however there is so much rugby to play between now and the day that the 2017 touring Lions’ coach announces his squad that none of us can be certain which individuals will have the honour of heading on tour. With the World Champions as the opposition the gauntlet is large however this tradition and this jersey is  the greatest that a player can pull on and personally I am confident the class of 2017, both on and off the field, will deliver when it matters. 

Canterbury's British & Irish Lions 1959 Commemorative Jersey - Personal Recommendation

I can honestly say from experience that it is a first-class jersey and a real throwback to the old school shirts with full sleeves and gorgeous material. The jersey sits as part of Canterbury's 'Since 1888' range and is available to pre-order now. It's heading into stores from the 12^th November and for a little more reading - www.canterbury.com is the place to go!