The British & Irish Lions depart for South Africa later this month to do battle against the Springboks.

Here we look at five classic matches involving the Lions.

South Africa 22 British & Irish Lions 23, first Test, Ellis Park, Johannesburg, August 6, 1955

The Lions were underdogs, with the Springboks widely acknowledged as the world's best after achieving the Grand Slam in Britain and Ireland in 1951-52. The tourists stunned the 95,000-strong crowd by coming from behind with tries from Cecil Pedlow, Jeff Butterfield, Cliff Morgan, Jim Greenwood and Tony O'Reilly. Yet still South Africa had an opportunity to triumph, only for full-back Jack van der Schyff's missed conversion in stoppage time to hand the tourists a 1-0 series lead. A 9-6 victory at Loftus Versfeld put the Lions 2-1 ahead in the series, but the Springboks responded in the fourth and final Test as an epic tour ended level.

New Zealand 3 British & Irish Lions 13, Athletic Park, Wellington, July 31, 1971

Mercurial Wales scrum-half Gareth Edwards had one of his best games in a Lions jersey to put the tourists 2-1 up in the four-Test series. Edwards, with his now legendary speed, guile and cunning, laid on tries for Gerald Davies and Barry John, who slotted a drop goal and added two conversions. The final Test at Eden Park in Auckland was drawn as the Lions claimed their first series victory in New Zealand. It was the platform on which the 1974 triumph was built. "In 1971 for the first time we believed we could beat them - and we did," said Willie John McBride.

South Africa 9 British & Irish Lions 28, second Test, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, June 22, 1974

Willie John McBride led 'the Invincibles' to an unbeaten tour with a mix of a brutally confrontational pack and the wicked wizardry of a supremely talented back division. After a 12-3 first Test triumph at Newlands in Cape Town, Wales wing JJ Williams starred with two tries in a record success in the second Test. Dick Milliken and Gordon Brown also touched down, while Ian McGeechan kicked a drop goal and Phil Bennett had a try, a conversion and a penalty. The third Test - known as the 'battle of Boet Erasmus Stadium' - was won 26-9, but the Lions were denied a clean sweep by a drawn fourth encounter.

South Africa 16 British & Irish Lions 25, first Test, Newlands, Cape Town, June 21, 1997

Having won the World Cup on home soil two years earlier, the Springboks were expected to give the Lions a mauling. However, in the first Lions tour of the professional age and the first to South Africa in 17 years following the apartheid boycott, the tourists produced a shock. The hosts were two tries to the good, but the boot of metronomic Welshman Neil Jenkins, playing at full-back in one of a number of selection surprises, kept the Lions in contention. Matt Dawson's outrageous dummy and scamper to the corner edged the Lions in front and Alan Tait's late score made certain of victory.

South Africa 15 British & Irish Lions 18, second Test, Kings Park Stadium, Durban, June 28, 1997

Again Neil Jenkins punished the Springboks' indiscipline, firing over five penalties for the scores to be level going into the latter stages. The hosts should have killed off the game to level the series after tries from Joost van der Westhuizen, Percy Montgomery and Andre Joubert, but six missed attempts at goal cost them dear. With three minutes to go and the scores tied at 15-all, the Lions dragged themselves forward and the ball came back for Jeremy Guscott. The centre was calmness personified as he kicked the drop goal to seal a series triumph for Ian McGeechan's side on a tour which dispelled talk that the Lions would have no part to play in the professional era.