"New Record Incoming" - 5 Biggest Lions Match Attendances ahead of 2nd Test in Melbourne

The Lions have long been a touring spectacle unlike any other in world sport. Every four years, they bring together the best of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to face the southern hemisphere’s rugby giants, with a travelling army of passionate supporters following them as the 'Sea of Red'.

From the thunder of Ellis Park in 1955 to the electric atmosphere in Sydney in 2001 and 2013, Lions Test matches are etched into rugby folklore not only for the drama on the pitch, but for the seismic energy in the spectacular sporting amphitheaters in which they were held.

As Melbourne prepares to become a cauldron of red and gold jerseys, face paint, and deafening "LIONS" chants, we take a look back at the five biggest Lions Test attendances of all time, moments where sport, spectacle, and sheer scale collided. Let’s relive the matches that shook stadiums and shaped legacies.

Tied for fifth place are two landmark Tests in South Africa; the 1968 First Test in Pretoria and the 1974 rubber match in Johannesburg, each packed with 75,000 supporters. in 1974, the fixture is remembered for the infamous '99 call', a pre-planned agreement among the Lions players to retaliate as a unit if a teammate was targeted by the opposition.

The Lions returned to Australia in 2013 and once again drew a huge crowd to ANZ Stadium, as 83,702 turned up. With history on their side, the tourists showcased blistering attacking rugby to deliver a commanding end to the series.

It was a history making day for the Wallabies, as the class of '01 defeated the British & Irish Lions to win the series in a nail-biting decider. This carried extra weight as Australia had never won a three-match series against the Lions prior to this momentous match in front of Sydney's all-time capacity crowd.

The largest crowd from the British & Irish Lions' history books, took place upon the first Test of the series against South Africa in 1955. An approximated 90,000 fans packed themselves into Johannesburg's Ellis Park, for a concophony of noise from the hosts in green and gold and the tourists in red. The Lions edged the match by one point, to take a 1-0 lead into the series.