When the Lions landed in Australia, they arrived with something never before seen in Rugby Union: an App. It may not sound exciting, but it's been hailed as the secret weapon that helped win the tour. Known as the T.E.A.M System, it was purpose-built by Lions sponsor, Microsoft (in conjunction with their development partner, Tailteann) to run on the Windows 8-equipped Surface Pro tablet and track the players' health and fitness.
Every morning, players would stand on a set of scales linked to the Surface Pro. Once logged in, they work their way through the App, logging whether or not they had any aches or pains, any stiffness in their body, their mood, and how well they slept that night. They would also be able to note whether or not they'd taken any sleeping pills or painkillers.
Once completed, team doctors could access the data and assess the fitness of each player, only calling in the players about whom they had concerns. In previous tours, all players would be required to meet with a team doctor every day, wasting precious training time.