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'You have to be joking': The possibility of a Lions tour hosted in Australia has divided pundits, players and fans alike
Stephen Jones of the Sunday Times’ bombshell report that Australia has offered to host the 2021 Lions Tour with the Springboks has divided fans, ex-players and pundits.
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The series between the Lions and Springboks is under serious threat due to the current global pandemic which has seen both South Africa and the United Kingdom suffer widespread cases of the virus.
This has increased the likelihood that the matches would have to be played crowd-less in either country, which SARU have already declared impossible due to the financial ramifications that would bring.
According to The Times, Rugby Australia (RA) approached the RU about hosting the tour in Australia, with profits shared between the Lions and Springboks.
RA chair Hamish McLennan has confirmed to the Sydney Morning Herald that talks are underway, suggesting that the move would be a win-win situation for all involved.
The report was met equally by those vehemently opposed to the idea and those that see an Australian-hosted tour as a win-win way to host crowds and revenue-share back with the Springboks.
Former Wallaby James Horwill was in favour of the idea along with journalists Stuart Barnes & Paul Williams, but no common agreement could be made as those on the other side of the fence weighed in. Ex-Scotland international Jim Hamilton wrote ‘please no’ against the idea,
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All for the Lions going to Australia to play South Africa.
Weird times need weird solutions.
Sounds good to me.
— Paul Williams (@thepaulwilliams) January 31, 2021
Please no. https://t.co/qyBK00iKsW
— Jim Hamilton (Vice Captain) (@jimhamilton4) January 31, 2021
Safer, more crowds…all those Brits and Irish in Oz would generate an atmosphere in stadiums, even if it is grim news for our travel firms https://t.co/BfEHUTmjst
— Stuart Barnes (@SBarnesRugby) January 31, 2021
South Africa vs Lions in Australia? I mean all you have to do is read that again, will be a great shame if they even considering that.
— BJ Botha (@BJBotha) January 30, 2021
This makes sense if the tour is to go ahead this year. Big supporter base for both teams living in Aus so full stadiums.
Also Aus already have experience dealing with touring teams during COVID. https://t.co/FCCewTvMTs
— James Horwill (@JHorwill) January 31, 2021
Fans were equally divided over the proposal, with many sharing valid points for and against. Many fans felt that the ‘meaningful aspects of the tour’ would be missed, such as connecting with the local culture and the tradition of travelling fans.
A series hosted in Australia would likely only be attended by local Australians and ex-pats already living there, missing the ‘sea of red’ Lions fans that tour from the UK & Ireland.
Those in the opposed camp were prepared to scrap the tour altogether and postpone it until another time, which also isn’t feasible with future tours already scheduled for the home nations.
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Brilliant idea. Move the British Lions test series in the summer from South Africa to Australia. Right now, this makes complete sense for obvious reasons.https://t.co/7xVu1WKG7X
— James Melville ? (@JamesMelville) January 31, 2021
Australians should piss off. British and Irish Lions tour should be canceled if they can't stage it in South Africa or postpone until 2022. Playing in Australia or UK wouldn't be right. And South Africa would lose. https://t.co/i3DeMGe3fX
— Lethabo (@CheetahPlains) January 31, 2021
The thought of getting up at 8am to watch the Springboks run out in Perth to play the Lions and having to hear Aussie commentary… it’s frankly a revolting image. Of all the potential solutions it is the single most unpalatable and disgusting one to SA fans.
— A-P (@rugby_ap) January 31, 2021
But that removes all meaningful aspects of the _tour_. If they can’t play in SA, then better to just tour Australia and play the Wallabies and give SA the next tour slot?
— Stefan Andreasson (@StAndreasson) January 31, 2021
As a lions fan living in SA this would be far from ideal, with Sydney being +9 hrs, games would be at times that are not ideal for both UK and SA. SA is also in dire need for tourists and the revenue the tour would bring.
— Scott Gerald Parker (@scott_fricker) January 31, 2021
You have to joking,it’s a home series for SA or nothing,tell the Aussies to but out,the history behind a Lions tour of SA just can’t be replicated in Aus and they probably won’t let SA fans in anyway
— DoubleM (@ValeVultures) January 31, 2021
A lions tour without home fans isn’t a lions tour. If it can’t happen in SA this year then next. If it can’t happen next year then 4 years time.
If they did go ahead with this idea there wouldn’t be a tour to SA for another 12 years.
— Matt Pates (@patesy91) January 31, 2021
Win-win-lose Thousands of Lions supporters have booked and paid significant sums of money to go to South Africa for the tour. Not allowing fans from overseas to travel (relying on expats to fill the stadia) would be a massive loss for us
— Michelle (@CorkSeashell) January 31, 2021
This is likely the only path where crowds are able to attend and given the large SA expat communities in Perth + lure of the lions stadiums would sellout = maximise profit. Are there any other genuine options that have the tour going ahead this year?
— Charles Dollar (@charlesdollar99) January 31, 2021
Its a frankly ludicrous alternative.
I'd rather they just swapped the schedule and let them play the Aussies this summer and Bok's in '25.
There is little value for SA in it going the Australia in their year.
— thedeadballarea (@thedeadballarea) January 31, 2021
Wales captain and veteran of three Lions tours Alun Wyn Jones was adamant that delaying the tour was not an option.
“I think it needs to go ahead this year,” Jones said, speaking during Wednesday’s Guinness Six Nations virtual launch.
“The jury is out on where it will happen. We all know the jeopardy that it’s in. All being well, everyone will be safe and looked after if it does go ahead, for those guys selected.
“It would be a travesty if the fans weren’t able to go and see it.
Former Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus also earlier came out and said that they will explore every option for the tour to go ahead claiming they will ‘do whatever it takes’, signalling the upmost importance of the Lions tour to SA Rugby’s finances after a covid-impacted 2020 year.
“We desperately want to play the Lions, and we will do anything to play them,” he said.
“This series only comes around every 12 years. I have heard the different calls and opinions about the tour, and although we didn’t play in the Rugby Championship because of player welfare, it was also because we knew there was this big series in 2021.
“If option one of playing in South Africa doesn’t work out, we will go to option Z to make it happen.
Comments on RugbyPass
A distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
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1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
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1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
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1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
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3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
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6 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
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1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
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5 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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