“I was busy out in the garden mending my fence so that my dog couldn’t escape when I was named a British & Irish Lion. I didn’t have a clue what it was at first”: Jason Robinson on becoming a Lions legend, Brian O’Driscoll and that iconic try against Australia

Jason Robinson was a player so good that he made us humble amateurs consider if we were even playing the same sport.

His feet moved as fast as unruly windshield wipers battling a tropical monsoon and would make even the very best look silly with his ability to slip through the narrowest of gaps.

He made your eyes go wide and your mouth fall open. It felt as if every time he got his hands on the ball, something would happen. A shining light of Wigan Warriors’ iconic 1990s rugby league side, the one they called ‘Billy Whizz’ converted codes to union at the end of 2000.

By the summer of 2001, he was starting on the wing for the British & Irish Lions in the first Test against Australia, scoring a wicked try from seemingly nothing within the first three minutes. It was a meteoric rise for a man who admits he “didn’t really know what the Lions was” when selected.

By the end of the tour, Robinson returned home as top try-scorer and firmly placed within the annals of Lions lore. So ahead of this year’s tour, Rugby World thought we’d give Jason a call and revisit the glory days…

Read more: All you need to know about the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia

Jason Robinson British & Irish Lions Q&A

Jason, you made your Sale debut in November 2000. By June of 2001, you were starting for the British & Irish Lions. When was the first time the Lions became a thing for you?

Going back just the 24 years! I only really knew what the Lions were in June 2001.

I’m not kidding. I’d played in a Lions tour in rugby league but in terms of the history of the Lions with union, the famous tours, I didn’t have a clue.

So much so that when I was called up to the squad, I didn’t know the majority of the squad. But that was what was so exciting about it all. I hadn’t even started a Test match for England. My first start in a rugby union Test match was for the Lions against Australia. I was on this crazy wave.

There was the pressure, the press, being the league star switching codes. I didn’t know all the laws, I knew little about the game but every game I was learning, I was beating people, I was scoring tries, so I stood out immediately. I was picking things up week to week.

What people also fail to realise is that I’d played 35 games of league for Wigan that season before switching to Sale in November. I played 60 games in a 12-month period, with the last seven being in a Lions jersey. People talk about player burnout, I don’t know how I had the energy.

That was tough!

Who was it that got in touch to announce your selection?

 I remember the Lions coaching staff came to watch a Sale Sharks game against London Irish and, not to sound big-headed, I was beating people for fun that day.

It was one of those games where I was carving up. It’s what made me that year’s Lions bolter. When I got the call about selection, it went through to the press manager at Sale, Dave Swanton.

Read more: The fixtures for the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour

I was busy out in the garden mending my fence so that my dog couldn’t escape. He got in touch and told me I’d been picked on the tour.

Even then I didn’t really understand what it was until the first day we met up as a squad. All I knew was that it was going to be an incredible opportunity to play with the best players from the four unions.

When you finally made the tour, how did that feel?

 Lions tours have a competition within a competition.

Everyone thinks it’s about getting selected and coming together to play against one of the best teams in the world, one of the big three in the southern hemisphere. It’s more than that. The competition within the group is ferocious. I remember the training.

We were knocking lumps out of one another, it was the hardest thing I’d ever experienced but it was incredible.

I got my first opportunity in the second game of the tour against a Queensland President’s XV and I was lucky. I scored five tries in the second half in just 30 minutes, which I’m pretty sure put any doubters over my selection in their place.

 Talk us through that first Test in Brisbane…

British & Irish Lions Jason Robinson steps Australia’s Chris Latham (Getty Images)

I can’t remember who told me I’d be playing.

Even though I didn’t fully understand the history like everyone else, I was aware of the stature of pulling that jersey on and those who had worn it before me. And just the general sense of earning my spot on the Test team.

Getting on tour is one thing but playing a Test is another. Seeing the other players around the hotel who hadn’t made the team made me realise that I needed to do something special when I was in the jersey. It started well, scoring within three minutes.

When I stepped Chris Latham to score, I honestly didn’t know who he was but I actually think that helped me because I didn’t give people too much respect. I just saw someone in front of me and thought, ‘can I go around you?’

Related: When does the 2025 British & Irish Lions squad get announced?

On a tour like that, you meet and play with people from all walks of life. Did anybody stand out?

Brian O’Driscoll of the Lions is congratulated by Jason Robinson after scoring the first try during the game between British and Irish Lions and NSW Waratahs (Nick Wilson/ALLSPORT)

I think you make a bond with everyone on tour because the connection is so unique, but it’s probably stronger with those who you room with. I spent a lot of time with Brian O’Driscoll on that tour.

We were the two new kids – I had come from league and he was only 21 years old. It worked out, us together, as it was the tour that set our international careers on fire. Another is Rob Henderson, the centre.

We’re like chalk and cheese. I was trying to be the ultimate professional, I didn’t go out, I didn’t drink. Rob, on the other hand, was old school. He was all fags, room service and late nights but it worked for him.

Did you get a chance to explore Australia away from the pitch?

As there are so many fans on tour, you’re actually more restricted than you would think, you couldn’t just sneak out for a coffee. I do remember getting to see bits of Perth and Cairns but it was far from a sightseeing holiday.

There was also some sensational stash on that tour. Can you remember any standouts?

Jason Robinson takes a break from training during a British Lions training session held in Perth, Australia. (Dave Rogers /Allsport)

Everything was supersized. I’ve never had so much stash in my life. We were getting everything. Sunglasses, camcorders – which were a big thing back in the day. It was brilliant, it was Christmas.

All the boys were just so excited by what we got for free. I’ve not done well with kit, though. I’ve played so many games for so many different sides and I think I’ve got one shirt left and maybe a Lions bag in the loft somewhere.

You then went on the 2005 tour to New Zealand. What was different about that tour compared to 2001?

Yes, that was very different… Where to start?

We probably had too many people on the tour, player-wise. Trying to keep so many people happy and motivated is bloody hard and Clive (Woodward) had his own vision of how to make it work.

I remember Alastair Campbell being there and it became a circus at times. Clive thought that was how to be successful. There was also the fact it was in New Zealand.

It’s the most intense place to play rugby in the world. Everyone from the hotel cleaner to the waiter in the restaurant is watching rugby and talking to you about the game. You cannot escape the pressure.

Then there was the controversy with O’Driscoll’s injury in the first Test, too, which did not help. But, ultimately, I think we came up against a very, very good New Zealand team. The All Blacks were on fire and they were dangerous through the entire team. It was a lesson but sometimes you’ve just got to hold your hands up.

You played with Andy Farrell in your league and union days. What can you tell us about the Lions head coach?

England players Andy Farrell (L) and Jason Robinson attend an England squad training session (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

I played league with Andy for almost ten years and then we played for England together in union after he came over in 2005. I think the way he coaches is exactly how he went about being a player – it is everything to him.

He was always someone who looked to be fitter, faster, stronger, smarter than his opposition. From a young age, he took on so much pressure. He was a young lad from Wigan who signed for the club, got into the first team, became the captain, played in the key positions, did the goal-kicking.

How much pressure did he want? Some seem to thrive off it and that’s Andy. He also gets it.

He is young enough to still be in touch with the needs of modern players and will have a laugh and let them enjoy themselves, but he will also make them work hard when they need to. He has already succeeded with the Lions, he deserves the gig and I think he’ll do a fantastic job.

If you could pick one player from the 2001 Lions tour to be on the plane in 2025, who would you pick and why?

It has to be Brian O’Driscoll. There are certain players who stand the test of time and he is one of them. His level was incredible and his game had everything. His skill-set was complete in attack and defence.

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