4. British & Irish Lions – 1974
It was a tour of South Africa that began against Western Transvaal on May 15 in Potchefstroom and ended more than two months and 22 games later on July 27 with the final Test against the Springboks in Johannesburg. Along the way, no-one but no-one was able to get the better of Willie John McBride’s men.
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3. England – 2003
Everyone remembers Jonny’s drop goal which kicked England to World Cup glory in Sydney in 2003 and it was a huge achievement by history-making Clive Woodward’s side to become the first – and still only – northern hemisphere team to lift the Webb Ellis trophy.
But if anything, they were even better in the build-up to that tournament. In the autumn of 2002, they beat all three southern hemisphere giants, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, ahead of completing the Six Nations Grand Slam in the spring.