That was on 29 July, 1993, in a golden era for the Mooloo. Five years earlier they had beaten Wales and they also beat Canada and Argentina in the late eighties.
But their biggest day in the sun was against Gavin Hastings’ Lions 24 years ago when they outscored the tourists by five tries to one. The 2017 Waikato vintage will be their Super Rugby side, the Chiefs, and on Tuesday, 20 June the former home hero Gatland will be well and truly in the Lions camp.
Having seen his side over-power the Maori All Blacks 32-10 in Rotorua last weekend,Gatland will be hoping for another pre-test fillip from his midweek team. The three-match series kicks-off in Auckland on Saturday and another scalp would provide a notable confidence boost.
The Chiefs caught Wales on the hop last season in between tests and they will once again be stripped of their All Blacks and a number of front line players. But they will still present a major challenge for Gatland’s side.
The six call-ups to the Lions squad last weekend, the Welsh quartet of Kristian Dacey, Tom Francis, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies, are all involved among the replacements along with the Scottish duo of Allan Dell and Finn Russell. In the starting XV, anyone wanting to grab a test shirt will have to have the game of their lives.
