- Date of Birth31 / 05 / 1960
- Lions Tours1983, 1993
- International CapsEngland / Lions
- Lions Origin SchoolsRossall School
- Lions Origin ClubsMeralomas, Harlequins, Barbarians, Exeter Chiefs, Fleetwood, Hawkes Bay Magpies, Headingley, MTN Golden Lions, French Barbarians
The fact Peter Winterbottom was given the honour of leading out the Lions in the series-decider against New Zealand in 1993 for his final international match – despite Gavin Hastings being the captain – was evidence of how highly-regarded he was by his team-mates and opposition.
Winterbottom was one of the standout performers during the 1983 trip to New Zealand as the flanker featured in all four Tests and 12 of the 18 Tour matches.
Injury hampered his career in the mid-1980s but the blond Yorkshireman returned to New Zealand ten years later and once again featured in all of the Tests.
All-action, fierce tackling and hard-running, Winterbottom showed he had lost none of the characteristics that had made him stand out a decade earlier.
Second time around, however, experience had additionally honed his sixth sense of positional play to the point that his remarkable powers of anticipation took him to the breakdown crucial seconds ahead of the opposition.
Winterbottom was one of the finest openside flankers England have ever produced and a pivotal member of the side that reached the 1991 World Cup final and secured back-to-back Grand Slams in the early 1990s.