Do the British and Irish Lions have a national anthem and what songs have they sung before matches?
THE British and Irish Lions are in South Africa as Warren Gatland looks to make it three tours without defeat.
Under the stewardship of the New Zealander, the team beat Australia in 2013 before playing out a drawn series in his homeland in 2017.
Before the matches against the Springboks, the two sides will line up for the national anthems. But what will the Lions sing?
Do the British and Irish Lions have a national anthem?
The British and Irish Lions do NOT have a national anthem.
Before their matches against South Africa, the teams will line up for the anthems as normal.
However, only the South African national anthem will be played.
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Have the Lions ever had an anthem?
The British and Irish last had an anthem in the 2005 tour of New Zealand.
Back then, Clive Woodward commissioned an effort called “The Power of Four”, aiming to stir the emotions and bring together the nations of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
Players were given iPods with the song on and ordered to learn the words.
However, when it was played before their matches against the All Blacks they simply looked baffled.
A 3-0 series drubbing did little for the song’s popularity and it was scrapped before the 2009 series in South Africa.
Why don’t the Lions sing God Save the Queen?
The Lions did sing God Save the Queen during one tour, back in 1989 in Australia.
However, the song is not sung today as it would not represent most of the Irish players, who come from the Republic of Ireland – a separate country from the UK.