It seems unthinkable a stuffed animal could hold so much influence over superstar rugby players.
But for the British and Irish Lions, there is a method behind the madness.
Meet BIL, the official mascot of the British and Irish Lions.
Its name is derived from the abbreviated version of the full Lions title and is a giant toy lion, an item the team has brought with them on every tour since 1950.
But, most importantly, BIL is always looked after by the youngest player on the Lions tour.
And if BIL is lost, some serious punishment awaits that is decided by a fines committee, although it is always light-hearted in nature.
Take Simon Zebo in 2013, who had to call his Munster coach Rob Penney and ask him if he could be captain for the upcoming season after he rolled a dice and landed on the punishment.
For the Lions’ 2025 tour to Australia, the honour of carrying BIL around belongs to 20-year-old England openside flanker Henry Pollock.
Pollock was officially given ownership duties of BIL during the Lions’ warm weather camp in Portugal ahead of their farewell match against Ireland in Dublin.
Lions skipper Maro Itoje, who looked after BIL during the 2017 tour to New Zealand, handed Pollock the mascot and gave him a stern warning of what’s to come if he loses it in a moment captured in episode one of The Ultimate Test.
“Henry, you have to have this on you at all times,” Itoje said.
“You have to take it to every training session. When we’re in camp at the hotel, it has to be by your side.
British and Irish Lions - YouTubeLions skipper Itoje, who once was in charge of BIL, officially handed it over to Pollock[/caption] Should Pollock lose sight of it, he could be in serious strife within the teamGetty“Every time BIL goes wandering or missing, it’s going to be a fine yet to be determined by the fines committee.
“The only time you’re not allowed to have it with you is when you’re on social.
“But apart from that, this is basically your new girlfriend.”
Unfortunately for Pollock, he didn’t heed Itoje’s advice.
The England international brought BIL along to a training session and plonked it down next to a cameraman.
But by the end of the session, BIL had gone walkabout with a little help from Ireland international Bundee Aki.
Youngest player on the Lions tour since 2001
2025 (Australia) – Henry Pollock, 20
2021 (South Africa) – Louis Rees-Zammit, 20
2017 (New Zealand) – Maro Itoje, 22
2013 (Australia) – Stuart Hogg, 20
2009 (South Africa) – Leigh Halfpenny, 20
2005 (New Zealand) – Matt Stevens, 22
2001 (Australia) – Jonny Wilkinson, 22
British and Irish Lions - YouTubePollock thought he’d found a safe space to leave BIL…[/caption] British and Irish Lions - YouTubeBut Irish international Aki had other ideas that left Pollock in a brief state of panic[/caption]Given the brutal fines that typically come in the form of a forfeit, the older players will do all they can to hide or steal BIL.
Aki planted BIL behind some gym equipment and watched the chaos unfold as Pollock almost began to panic.
“I was training, I left it somewhere,” Pollock said.
“I’m training, I come back and it’s not there.”
Aki must have arrived with a reputation of being a prankster as Pollock immediately thought it was him, much to the Irish centre’s sarcastic shock.
Luckily for Pollock, he managed to recover BIL and took the giant lion around with him during his gym session.
Pollock is the latest man to take care of BIL after NFL convert Louis Rees-Zammit had the honour during the Lions’ 2021 tour of South Africa.
Looking after BIL hasn’t always been the easiest of tasks given the senior members of the squad constantly seek chances to hide the lion.
But for Stuart Hogg, who was the first to look after BIL during the 2013 tour of Australia after its predecessor Leo was retired from service, it wasn’t any of his older teammates who made carrying the lion around a nightmare.
Instead, it was his allergies.
“Hay fever is a nightmare,” a 20-year-old Hogg said in 2013.
“It always comes in the summer. My eyes start to puff up and holding that lion is a bit of a nightmare. With its long mane, it’s a bit itchy.
Hogg wasn’t exactly the fondest fan of carrying BIL due to his allergiesAFP via Getty“I’ll maybe speak to the gaffer and see what he says about that.”
BIL was introduced after four summer tours took its toll on predecessor, Leo.
The latest iteration of the Lions mascot was discovered at a toy shop in Geneva Airport and is set for its fourth tour.
Eagle-eyed fans across Australia will hope to spot BIL on the sidelines, with the stuffed toy in line to appear in Perth on June 28 as the Lions take on the Western Force.
Rugby fans won’t miss a minute of the Lions tour down under, as every match will be exclusively broadcast live on talkSPORT.
Former England Australia coach Eddie Jones will be part of a star-studded panel analysing the action alongside by British & Irish Lions heavyweight Ben Kay, Ireland’s Gordon D’Arcy and Wales’ Alex Cuthbert, as well as rugby legends Scotland’s Jim Hamilton, England’s Rocky Clark and Aussie Matt Giteau.
The Lions on talkSPORT
talkSPORT has all of the British and Irish Lions matches live across the network. Eddie Jones is among the star-studded line-up leading the coverage Down Under.
June 20, Dublin: Lions vs Argentina
June 28, Perth: Lions vs Western Force
July 2, Brisbane: Lions vs Queensland Reds
July 5, Sydney: Lions vs New South Wales Waratahs
July 9, Canberra: Lions vs ACT Brumbies
July 12, Adelaide: Lions v ANZAC XV
July 12, Brisbane: Lions v Wallabies
July 22, Melbourne: Lions v First Nations and Pasifika XV
July 26, Melbourne: Lions v Wallabies
August 2, Sydney: Lions v Wallabies
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