The British and Irish Lions have arrived in Auckland to a Maori welcome followed by a rapturous reception from travelling supporters.
Coach Warren Gatland, his 41 players and phalanx of support staff touched down at Auckland Airport shortly after midday on Wednesday.
More Sports HQ Videos
- Video duration
- 01:50
Lions greet Maori welcome with song
Lions greet Maori welcome with song
The British and Irish Lions team respond to their Maori welcome with a Welsh song as they arrive at Auckland International Airport.
- Video duration
- 00:31
LeBron: Warriors have Cavs where they ...
LeBron: Warriors have Cavs where they want them
LeBron James admitted the Cleveland Cavaliers have a huge task on their hand to fight their way back into the NBA Finals series after they won their first game against the Golden State Warriors.
Up Next
Thurston fantastic as Cowboys thrash Eels
- Video duration
- 01:27
- Video duration
- 01:27
Thurston fantastic as Cowboys thrash Eels
Thurston fantastic as Cowboys thrash Eels
After firing up following a late Kenny Edwards hit, Johnathan Thurston was masterful in his return for North Queensland, as his side trounced Parramatta 32-6.
Up Next
Panthers foil Raiders in great escape
- Video duration
- 00:37
- Video duration
- 00:37
Panthers foil Raiders in great escape
Panthers foil Raiders in great escape
All hope seemed lost for the Penrith Panthers with two minutes to go in Bathurst, but no one told Matt Moylan.
Up Next
Suns sneak home against Hawthorn
- Video duration
- 01:30
- Video duration
- 01:30
Suns sneak home against Hawthorn
Suns sneak home against Hawthorn
The Gold Coast Suns held off Hawthorn in a tense final quarter at the MCG.
Up Next
Penrith down Raiders in miraculous comeback
- Video duration
- 01:31
- Video duration
- 01:31
Penrith down Raiders in miraculous ...
Penrith down Raiders in miraculous comeback
The Panthers scored two tries in the final two minutes to steal one from the Raiders in Bathurst.
Up Next
Wallabies cruise to victory over Fiji
- Video duration
- 01:30
- Video duration
- 01:30
Wallabies cruise to victory over Fiji
Wallabies cruise to victory over Fiji
The Wallabies have defeated Fiji 37-14 at AAMI Park in Melbourne with Israel Folau and Henry Speight both crossing for doubles.
Up Next
Warriors hammer Titans
- Video duration
- 01:30
- Video duration
- 01:30
Warriors hammer Titans
Warriors hammer Titans
The New Zealand Warriors put on a mouth watering first half display to destroy the Gold Coast Titans.
Lions greet Maori welcome with song
The British and Irish Lions team respond to their Maori welcome with a Welsh song as they arrive at Auckland International Airport.
Captain Sam Warburton accepted the wero, or challenge, and manager John Spencer spoke before the Lions responded to the powhiri (Maori welcome ceremony) with a Welsh hymn Calon Lan.
Calon Lan was chosen by the Lions players for this tour, as a song to follow their New Zealand greeting. It is a Welsh hymn written in the 1890s. A hymn it has become associated with Welsh rugby, sung before almost every test match involving Wales.
After their rousing first steps on to New Zealand soil, the Lions were greeted in the public waiting area, by fans three or four rows deep.
Fans adorned in British Isles red yelled out the players' names as they arrived one-by-one, and some stopped to chat, with one using a wildly flapped Irish flag as a player magnet.
In one neat sidestep of the day's cultural theme, the Lions arrived not by British Airways, Air New Zealand or Aer Lingus, but on a Qantas flight, leading one wag to comment "the kangaroo, a well-known symbol of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales"
The 10-match tour begins against a provincial selection in Whangarei on Saturday and gets considerably harder from there, ending with the third and final Test back in Auckland on July 8.
Most are anticipating the series won't be alive by then, tipping the world champion All Blacks to continue a winning streak at home which stretches back 45 Tests.
The Lions faithful will believe they have the team to counter another historic hurdle.
Gatland's men are aiming to be just the second to taste a series success on New Zealand soil in 12 attempts.
To match the deeds of the famed 1971 side they'll need a lot to go right and to, somehow, avoid injury and fatigue.
Hard on the heels of another long European season, the players must negotiate games against all five powerhouse Kiwi Super Rugby teams, as well as an unofficial "fourth Test" against the Maori All Blacks.
AAP and Stuff.co.nz