Lions 2013: tourists should beware busty blondes bearing gifts in Australia, says Austin Healey An example. In the early part of the tour, our coach Graham Henry insisted on an open-door policy for the players in our hotel. In other words, we were encouraged to leave open the door to our rooms so others could walk in and share a few words. It works wonders and I am a great believer in it. It is the perfect way to get to know those guys whom you might not have known prior to the trip. Unfortunately, in leaving my door open in 2001, I was subjected to the most bizarre visit from two girls who I can only describe as honey trappers. You know the kind: attractive blondes who have been sent on a mission to try to land the lads in hot water. I can think of a few cases in history where players have fallen for it. Thankfully, I twigged what was happening within a few moments and when asked to join in on a spot of afternoon frivolity, I politely declined, although I did suggest that my next-door neighbour Phil Greening might be up for a laugh considering that he was a single man! They pushed it for a bit and refused to take no for an answer until I rung down to the Lions press officer and asked whether he could escort - excuse the pun - the girls from the hotel. I cannot remember precisely what happened next, but the following day there were some fairly fruity pictures of the girls outside the team hotel underneath a headline that suggested that the Lions had been enjoying some early fun during the tour. I can laugh now but, believe me, at the time it is far from a comfortable situation in which to find yourself. And that was far from the end of it. From that moment on, we were subjected to all sorts of pathetic journalism, suggesting all sorts of nonsense. There was plenty of misquoting in the papers and a number of questions raised by our management as to how these stories were getting out. We were all in the clear, because the management knew that we had not said these things, but things like that can have a destabilising effect on the party. You end up spending your time wondering when the next hit will come. Personally, I had had enough of it and took little time in having a go back. Before the third Test, I stuck out my neck and suggested that the Wallabies" second row Justin Harrison was nothing more than a "plank." I stood by my comment because, in my eyes, he was a player who spent most of his time running around the field to smack as many people as he could. The response from the Aussie press was far from understanding. You would have thought I had murdered someone. I was pilloried yet, to me, I was simply saying what I thought. At least there was an element of truth in it! You can throw that forward to the current tour. The players will need to be extra careful because the Aussies will do their level best to expose the players in the best way they can. Especially the young ones. Let me give an example. If Stuart Hogg says that he is frustrated because he believes he is good enough to play in the Test team, the Aussie press will twist that into: "Hogg blasts Halfpenny - I'm better than you." It is just worth the Lions bearing that word of warning in mind, not - I hope - that they need it. As we are talking about the 2001 tour, it would be remiss of me not to mention the Matt Dawson column that caused so much consternation and upset at the time. Now, like me, Matt felt he had something to say and he said it. Before the first Test match, he claimed that there were players on the tour who felt like going home because they had been marginalised. He was right, but he chose the wrong time to go to print. A few days after the column, the Lions produced one of the all-time great performances in beating, or should I say humiliating, the Wallabies in Brisbane. It made Daws look a touch stupid as there were no signs that day of a split that was damaging the squad. Like everyone else, I am excited about what the next couple of months will bring. However, I am not buying into the comments being made about touring as a Lion. It has been said that a Lions tour is the pinnacle of any player's career and that they should savour the moment like nothing else. Yes, it is an honour to become a Lion and, yes, I will never forget it. For me, however, it does not compare to playing for England and in particular playing in a World Cup final. The pinnacle for any player should not be the tour that is the best marketing exercise or the one that raises the most revenue, it should be about competition, cohesion, spirit, desire and all the traditional values of rugby. It should be about sharing the experience with the supporters and having a drink and a chat with them whenever possible. At its grass roots, rugby is a sport of fun and friendship. The elite game is in danger of becoming too serious, not least the Lions. The players have become too far separated from the public and, for me, that is a crying shame. This tour has an important role to play in trying to break down those barriers and I only hope that the players are given the chance to embrace all that should be great about touring with the British and Irish Lions. ESPNscrum.com and ESPN Classic will feature podcasts, video content, a fantasy game and vintage footage during the 2013 Lions tour. A short history of dirty tricks Down Under - but did they work? By Graham Clutton 1989 Australia, beaten by a physical Lions in the second Test, tried to influence the officials for the third. Nick Farr-Jones said: "If the officials are going to do nothing about it, we'll have to do it ourselves. The third Test could develop into open warfare. Did it work? The Lions saved their grittiest display for the last Test, winning 19-18. 2001 Graham Henry, the Lions coach, claimed that the Australians were spying on his practice sessions. He said the squad had been allocated pitches with no privacy and that sessions were being videoed. Henry appeared rattled and players complained at his overbearing style. 2001 Australia sought to counter the swathes of red-shirted Lions fans by handing out gold scarves and hats before the Sydney Test. Lights had been turned out in parts of the stadium for visiting fans. The Australian crowd rallied and their team won 29-23. 2003 In the week of the World Cup final with England, fans were urged to make noise outside the England team hotel and set off fire alarms. A well-rested Jonny Wilkinson dropped the winning goal in the dying seconds. 2011 After Australia had been beaten by Ireland in a World Cup group game, Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill privately complained about the performance of referee Bryce Lawrence, who was due to be in charge of their quarter-final against South Africa. Lawrence's harsh treatment of the Springboks in their subsequent defeat was heavily criticised.