British & Irish Lions: What it means to take on the All Blacks

July 3, 1994.

Pete Sampras won his second Wimbledon title, “Forest Gump” was hitting cinema screens in the US, and pre-trial hearings against OJ Simpson had recently opened.

On the other side of the world, meanwhile, the All Blacks lost a rugby match in Auckland’s Eden Park – something that hasn’t happened since.

Few would bet against New Zealand’s 23-year reign in that stadium being broken any time soon, but the Lions – a composite team made up of the best players from Britain and Ireland – are hoping to do the impossible.

READ: All you need to know about the Lions

The first match of the three-test series takes place at Eden Park Saturday, and the Lions, who tour one of either New Zealand, Australia and South Africa every four years, are firm underdogs having lost twice to provincial sides in advance of playing the All Blacks.

It’s not just at the fortress Eden Park where the stats are loaded against the Lions. The All Blacks are on a record 46-game unbeaten run on home soil, the last loss coming in September 2009 against South Africa.

There are few more daunting tests in sport, let alone rugby, than facing the All Blacks at home. Claims have been made that they are the best sports team in history, boasting a better win record than Brazil in football and Australia in cricket.

“It probably doesn’t get much bigger, it probably doesn’t get much tougher than New Zealand in New Zealand,” Jamie George, an England player making his Lions test debut, told CNN ahead of the tour.

“There’s been a huge amount of hype around the tour, and I think we’re fully aware that we need to be at the top of our game if we’re going to come away with the series win, which is what we’re after.”

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British & Irish Lions: a hallowed tradition

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‘No better team’

The last – and only – Lions side to win in New Zealand was in 1971, when John Dawes lead the Northern Hemisphere side to an historic 2-1 victory.

There have been glimmers of hope for the 2017 crop of Lions. They comfortably beat the Maori All Blacks – traditionally seen as the tour’s “fourth test” – last week, and also ended the 14-match winning streak of club side Crusaders.

The Irish players in the squad will also hold onto last year’s victory in Chicago that ended New Zealand’s record unbeaten run of 18 games.

But recent signs show the All Blacks will be as ruthless as ever, as they thrashed Samoa 78-0 in their sole pre-series game.

“They’re a great team, and they have been very consistent over the years,” said Mako Vunipola, the Lions’ starting loosehead prop for this weekend’s game.

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The story of the 'greatest rugby player on earth'

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“You want to be involved in these big games and you’ve got to go and test yourself – and there’s no better team really than New Zealand. It’s a really good opportunity.”

For some of the players, hooker George included, it will be their first time playing the All Blacks; for his England and Saracens teammate, George Kruis, there’s hope his second outing might be more successful.

“Hopefully it’ll be better than the last time: I think I came on for five minutes and let in a try which was my debut, so it was a pretty interesting one,” the second row tells CNN.

“It’s going to be an epic encounter. You look at the team we’ve got and the depth we’ve got in our team. You’re going against number one in the world – it couldn’t be a bigger challenge.”

A lasting legacy?

The Lions take on a New Zealand side spearheaded by 2016’s world player of the year Beauden Barrett, who will marshal a back-line oozing with attacking flair.

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With the offloading of Sonny Bill Williams, the speed of Israel Dagg, and the power of promising young winger Rieko Ioane, the All Blacks have the ability to score tries freely.

In the forwards, the likes of captain Kieran Read, flanker Jermone Kaino, and lock Sam Whitelock have all been mainstays in the New Zealand sides that won back-to-back World Cups in 2011 and 2015 – the first country ever to do so.

Imperious on the field, New Zealand sides are equally as majestic off it.

The nation is steeped in rugby-playing culture, ritual, and tradition. The welcoming of the team, the sharing of breath, and the famous haka all form part of complex and elaborate pre-game routines.

The haka – the All Black’s ceremonial war dance performed on the field moments before a game gets underway – needs little introduction, while the ways teams face it vary.

Irishman Rory Best, who captained the Lions during a warm-up game against the Chiefs, is presented with a Taiaha, a traditional Maori weapon, after the game.

Ireland paid poignant tribute to rugby great Antony Foley, who passed away last year, by forming a number eight – Foley’s position – while facing the haka in Chicago.

At the recent under-20s World Championship, the French team remained unflinching, resulting in a minute-long stand-off between the sides that the referee was forced to break apart.

It’s for all these reasons that winning a test series in New Zealand carries significance beyond the sport itself.

“A legacy will last forever if you manage to win a series down there,” Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll, who captained the Lions’ 2005 tour of New Zealand, told CNN.

“It’s the toughest place to tour. It’s just a matter of digging in, keeping your eyes on the prize, and knowing what a huge carrot there is at the end of a successful seven-week tour.”

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Come Saturday, the Lions will be a step closer to – or further away from – that carrot. The world’s greatest sports team stands in their way.