The Lions are now an endangered species, says Robin Davey. Once vast wild beasts that roamed on tour for months on end, they risk becoming puny pussycats, pushed to scavenging on the margins for fixtures when they should still be kings of the rugby jungle.
The very future of one of rugby’s greatest institutions is under real threat as a result of dramatic changes in the English calendar just announced.
And that has to be a real rugby tragedy.
The Lions tour to South Africa in 2021 will be drastically reduced to only eight matches over five weeks – which is down from 10 matches in six weeks – a figure which was already considerably reduced.
Furthermore, there will be no extra training week between the English Premiership final and the departure of the squad for South Africa.
And after the RFU announced a new structure for the next three seasons – meaning the club campaign will run from mid-September to late June – England tours will take place in July, with the Lions possibly stretching into August so that rugby could be played in every calendar month of the year.
There will, though, be guaranteed mid-season breaks plus a mandatory five-week rest period between seasons while Lions players won’t be allowed to play for 10 weeks after the tour.
In addition, players won’t be permitted to play any more than 30 matches a season, which is down by two.
As a consequence, the chances of England players being chosen for the Lions will be considerably reduced though it appears the Guinness Pro 14 will allow Welsh, Irish and Scottish players to train with the Lions before the squad leaves for South Africa.
The consequence of all this rearranging of the rugby calendar is to drastically reduce the significance of the Lions. At best that is a pity, at worst it’s a crying shame. Professionalism appears to ruin almost everything in the end.
The Lions is a worldwide brand, loved by fans everywhere, and a tour by this famous outfit from the northern hemisphere is always greeted with great enthusiasm in New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.
On top of that tens of thousands from these shores make the pilgrimage every four years Down Under to support the Lions. It’s a great adventure loved by so many.
But now the authorities have reduced this famous, loved institution to a mere sideshow, bordering on the irrelevant.
No sooner will the Lions arrive in South Africa in 2021 than it’ll be time to leave. The tour will be over in the blink of any eye.
To reduce it to just eight games in five weeks is plainly ridiculous. Aside from denying many England players the chance to become a Lion, there is little to prepare with even a modicum of training before they depart.
What chance will the Lions have of winning the Test series on that basis? Does anyone even care?
The authorities are as good as saying the Lions are an irrelevance in this day and age.
In that case they are a joyless bunch who are depriving fans worldwide of a great opportunity. They are also driving a great touring tradition into the ground.
For 130 years this tour has been thrilling fans all over the world and those adventures have forged great friendships among players which have lasted a lifetime.
Ask any top player to name the pinnacle of his career and he will answer becoming a Lion and experiencing the heady days of a proper tour Down Under with the chance to take on the might of the southern hemisphere.
And it works the other way, too. Players from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa relish the opportunity to take on the mighty Lions.
Clearly, no-one is going to argue with the need for player welfare at a time when the hits are harder, injuries are more frequent than ever and the need for big squads to take that into account is soaring.
The announcements this week reflect all that.
But Premier Rugby in England have little or no regard for the Lions.
Their league – and making it produce as much money as possible – is all that matters and basically to hell with the rest.
There have been so many memorable tours by the Lions, none more so than the 1971 edition, when, under visionary Welsh coach Carwyn James they became the only side to win a Test series in New Zealand.
So many great Welsh players like Gareth Edwards, Barry John, Gerald Davies, JPR Williams and John Dawes played a leading role, but English greats like ‘Dai’ Duckham, became legends, too, along with Irishmen such as Mike Gibson.
Then three years later came the unbeaten Lions under Irish great Willie John McBride with Phil Bennett and Gareth Edwards their inspiration. They pounded through South Africa unbeaten, rocking the Springbok citadel to its very foundations.
And just a few years ago came the latest Lions, when, under Wales coach Warren Gatland, they drew the series with the All Blacks, another great tour.
But all that tradition, all that wonderful rugby history, all the happiness it brings to so many, all the honour it bestows upon players has now been put in jeopardy by the rugby authorities in the home unions.
A Lions tour lasting a paltry five weeks and playing just eight games, it’s hardly worth bothering with.
It’s a pale imitation, a sham, a betrayal. It’s tribute band, the Bootleg Beatles of the rugby field.
It will barely be worth even going.
Those responsible for this should hang their heads in shame.
Oi Dai, you’re falling into the current pattern of virtually ignoring Scotland. Maybe you fell into the Cardiff trap of being unable to tell one strip from another, but, to mention the Lions and not name-check the likes of Broon from Troon, Arthur Smith (who did play for Ebbw Vale), Gavin Hastings and Alan Tait and Gregor Townsend, to name but four – a rare black mark to Dai Sport.
I agree with you, however, the greed and self-interest of the big English clubs is a disgrace.
Apologies – absence of Scots’ wonderful influence duly noted. But we’re glad you agree with the sentiment.
Well done Graham – if we were all perfect, we’d all be English!!
Horrible thought, wash-out my mouth with carbolic.