British and Irish Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll fends off Bay of Plenty's Alan Bunting in their opening tour match played at the International Stadium in Rotorua, 2005.
How good is the news that Rotorua will play host to the British and Irish Lions game when the combined team return to New Zealand soils in 2017?
While the announcement of the tour schedule has copped some flack for the lack of provincial games, Rotorua can celebrate its inclusion
as the host of the traditional battle against the Maori All Blacks.
Anyone who was in Rotorua when the 2005 tour opened here will remember the atmosphere that came when the fans rolled into town - an atmosphere that hasn't been matched since.
And then there were the economic spinoffs that came hand-in-hand from the supporters who knew how to have a good time and were determined to make the most of what, for many, was the trip of a lifetime. Spare beds were tough to find, bars extended their opening times and shop keepers reported one of their best weekends in a long time.
While the return may still be two years away, Rotorua is being given plenty of time to make sure this Lions tour is one to be remembered too.
