12 years in the making, the British and Irish Lions are back on Australian soil and preparing for their first clash with the Wallabies since July 6, 2013.
Quite a lot has changed in the decade plus, although James O’Connor’s hairline is still remarkably strong, and he might not be making any late night trips to Hungry Jacks this time around.
But we have gone into the time machine to see what the world was like during those three weeks when the Aussies faced off with the best of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
The Chiefs Were On Their Way to a Super Rugby Title
Back when the international rugby calendar was a gigantic mess, the Super Rugby season would pause in June for the northern hemisphere sides to undertake their tours.
However when the season stopped, the Chiefs were setting the pace and eventually won the Super Rugby title that season.
In the final they beat the Brumbies after coming from 16-9 down at the break.
New Zealand Was Still Celebrating Their Rugby World Cup Win
We could say they were holding on to the Bledisloe Cup, but that’s been the case for over two decades now.
So let’s run with the country still buzzing after that triumph over the French 18 months prior.
As for the Wallabies they were reeling since their exit from that tournament with the axe hanging over Robbie Deans’ head.
The 41-16 hammering at the hands of the Lions in the third test sealed his fate.
Queensland Won An Origin Decider in Sydney
Otherwise known as the series that ended the biff in the NRL, Queensland and New South Wales played out three tense games.
Just like in 2025, it all came down to the decider in Sydney, which was won by Queensland although the 2013 edition was a bit closer with a 12-10 final score.
But most will remember it as the series where Paul Gallen punched Nate Myles in the face a few times and it barely registered on the Maroons enforcer.
ASADA Steals Focus from the NRL and AFL Seasons
The 2013 NRL and AFL seasons took place under the ASADA cloud with June and July seeing players getting interviewed over their involvement in the saga.
At the time while some were already serving bans, there was rampant speculation over who else would wind up getting named and shamed.
Andy Murray Took Out the Wimbledon Title
Those long, winter nights in 2013 featured plenty of action from the grass courts of Wimbledon and it came to a phenomenal conclusion.
Andy Murray became the first British man in 77 years and first Scot in 117 years to win a Wimbledon title.
Of course that wasn’t the only notable moment from the tournament, with Marian Bartoli taking out the women’s final, while the dynamic duo of Nadal and Federer were eliminated in the first and second round respectively.
In the boys’ doubles tournament, an Aussie duo of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis lifted the trophy too.
Manchester United Were Premier League Champions
One for the memory banks at Old Trafford, 2013 was the last time Manchester United were champions of England.
Robin Van Persie spearheaded that title charge on the back of his move from Arsenal and scored goals like this in his one good year for the Red Devils.
Now we just marvel in how far the once mighty have fallen.
Bayern Munich Were European Champions
12 months after losing the Champions League Final at their home stadium to Chelsea, Bayern Munich went to London to take on German rivals Borussia Dortmund.
A classic clash unfolded with the two sides trading blows for the full 90 minutes, with the game only decided in the closing minutes with one of the ugliest goals you will see.
Adam Scott Won the Masters
The nation’s interest in golf peaked in April 2013 when Adam Scott became the first Aussie to win the historic Masters tournament.
He did it the hard way though, draining a putt to make it to a playoff with Angel Cabrera before winning it with this effort in the rain and fading light.
Australian Prime Minister Was The Least Stable Job in the Country
Almost three years to the day after Julia Gillard knocked off sitting Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the MP for Griffith returned the favour between the first and second tests.
Some say that it was a response to Kurtley Beale’s missed game winning penalty attempt at Suncorp Stadium, but we’ll never know for sure.
Rudd’s second stint in the top job would only last 83 days before the Labor government was ousted by the LNP in September 2013.
We Only Had Six Fast and Furious Movies
Fast and Furious 6 (aka Furious 6) topped the Australian box office charts the week of the first test in Brisbane and 12 years later, the allegedly final film in this series (Fast X… Part 2) is in the works.
In F6, the crew are forced to reunite because DSS Agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) needs some help locating a crew of mercenaries.
It made US$788.7 million at the box office, but the biggest achievement in the movie is without a doubt this one-liner.
The series might have peaked with that one.
There Were Blurred Lines on top of the Aria Singles Chart
12 years later, this song has only retained relevance for the introduction of Emily Ratajkowski in the video clip (and the outrage her attire generated).
When the tests kicked off, it was coming to the end of it’s eight week run on top of the ARIA music charts before being replaced by Avicci’s Wake Me Up.
The boss has said that we can’t share the uncensored version of the Blurred Lines clip but you don’t have to look too hard on the internet.
The iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Dominated the Smartphone Market
While people were still adjusting to the smartphone era, Apple was on its sixth version of the iPhone and Samsung had just launched their fourth one in April 2013.
Granted between the Apple “S” versions of their phones and Samsung just skipping the S11-S19 entirely, keeping track of where we are up to now.
Although a rough count suggests the latest iPhone, the 16e is Apple’s 30th smartphone and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 is the 15th from that range.
Based on those trends, by the 2037 tour we are sure to be on the iPhone 532qdjh Pro and the Galaxy S493.