Warren Gatland turns to 2003 World Cup winning England team for inspiration ahead of Lions tour

British and Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland stated that his team will look to 2003 World Cup winning England team for inspiration as they head to New Zealand for a gruelling 10-game tour that begins in June.

The last time a British and Irish Lions side registered a series victory in New Zealand was way back in 1971 when Carwyn James' men won the series 2-1.

However, Gatland believes the likes of Martin Johnson, who led England famously to a 13-15 victory against New Zealand and a 14-25 win over Australia before going on to win the World Cup will be a motivation to the side as compared to the 1971 side.

"I wouldn't go as far back as 1971. The thing about modern day players is that they're told about the past but it doesn't have any bearing or significance," Gatland said.

"Players are about the here and now, so you have to be careful how far back you go because they're just not interested. That's the way it is.

"There are a couple of people who we may involve at some stage. To me what was quite significant was England beating the All Blacks in 2003 before they won the World Cup. That was significant.

"England were a better team in 2002 than they were in 2003. At one stage they were down to 13 men but repelled the All Blacks at a scrum close to the line.

"That's as far back as I'd go in terms of bringing in a few voices or people to talk about their experiences. In the past we used players from 1971 and 1974 but it went over the players' heads."