British and Irish Lions

FirstCape, who signed up with the Lions in February 2008, has also overtaken rivals Kumala and WolfBlass in the overall tables to sit as the eighth best-selling wine in the UK off trade.

Director Steve Rosser commented, "We are delighted to have hit the category leader position in only six years. The last year especially has been very exciting, with the Lions sponsorship the focal point of all our activity. We're thrilled that our hard work has paid off, although there is still a lot of work to do.

"We're now looking forward to showing the Lions our support alongside the thousands of fans who will be travelling to South Africa."

Lions chief executive John Feehan stated, "We sincerely congratulate FirstCape for this wonderful achievement. We're immensely proud to have the UK's number one South African wine behind us and hope to replicate FirstCape's success on the pitch."

FirstCape Director Greg Wilkins added, "We have hit a very significant target but our sponsorship doesn't end here. The Lions FirstCape Legacy project - which will benefit the local community around our winery in South Africa - is a very important part of what we are doing. The project will be unveiled during the Lions tour by the squad members, and we're looking forward to toasting their successes alongside our own."

The Lions of Leicester and Leinster will bring domestic bragging rights with them to tomorrow's farewell dinner after they helped their respective sides to league titles on Saturday.

Assistant coach Graham Rowntree says The British & Irish Lions will have to be fully focussed to avoid a potential banana skin when they face The Barbarians a week today.

Lions skipper Sam Warburton says the lessons he and his Welsh colleagues learnt in Australia last summer will stand them in good stead for their return visit with Britain and Ireland's elite next month.