2021 Rugby British & Irish Lions tour of SA

[PeteC]

Certainly not enough "rugby supporters" on the Forum to have a vote, and I don't believe we can have a "recorded vote" within a thread.

Either way, for obvious reasons, the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa is in doubt. Would yo prefer: -

Play in SA regardless?
Put the SA tour off for a year?
Cancel the tour completely?
Play the tour in Australia?
Play the "tour" in the UK - increased to four tests (played in England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales)?

Playing in SA is a no,no for me at the moment - can't be done with current Covid issues in SA.
Putting it off for a year would be my choice, but the home nations are bitching. The excuse being tour matches planned for 2022 and the RWC in 2023 - what a load of gonads... Money and that's all it is.
Cancellation? Again is money - does SA forfeit completely or do the Lions tour there in 2024/2025?
Australia? Maybe - but SA need the income from the tour... Australia vs Lions in SA?
The B&I Lions is a touring side, so for me playing on "home soil" is against tradition (unless a warm-up).

Believe me, Covid has pissed me off.... Tickets and flights were there for SA - now need my money back!!

[pharvey]

Thanks Pete!

Although not so many votes/replies I guess...

[PeteC]

I like the idea of the 5th option. Getting all countries to agree is probably impossible though, and a 51% share of the profits to the SA organization which is only fair I would think.

[PeteC]

Further to the above, the "best by" dates for players 30 and above is hugely affected IMO each year/tournament that they don't play, and that's where your team experience and leadership is. For that reason alone I would like to see it and other tournaments proceed even if it means adjustments to venue, timing, revenue share etc.

I think the players may agree with that.

[dtaai-maai]

"Play the tour in Australia?
Play the "tour" in the UK - increased to four tests (played in England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales)?"

Either of the above, as an exception for this year, though I'm not sure how much interest there would be among the Australian public.
And having the matches freely available on TV would be nice...

[pharvey]

I like the idea of the 5th option. Getting all countries to agree is probably impossible though, and a 51% share of the profits to the SA organization which is only fair I would think.

I would think all countries would go along with things purely to get some income after a disastrous time through Covid. Certainly agree that SA should get the "Lion's Share" (well, not all of it)...

Further to the above, the "best by" dates for players 30 and above is hugely affected IMO each year/tournament that they don't play, and that's where your team experience and leadership is. For that reason alone I would like to see it and other tournaments proceed even if it means adjustments to venue, timing, revenue share etc.

I think the players may agree with that.

Certainly many are pushing for the "tour" for those reasons..... AWJ for one made a very strong shout for his case against England recently, but at his age this year would certainly be his last chance for the Lions (at least as a player).

"Play the tour in Australia?
Play the "tour" in the UK - increased to four tests (played in England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales)?"

Either of the above, as an exception for this year, though I'm not sure how much interest there would be among the Australian public.
And having the matches freely available on TV would be nice...

I would say there would be huge interest from the Australian public - purely due to the lack of "spectator sport" being available since Covid. Don't forget the amount of British (and SA) expats living out there.

Freely available on TV.... Not a chance - SKY had the rights to the tour in SA, so can't see how they would lose that right regardless of where the tour was played. There would potentially be an extra test if held in the UK, but certainly not the planned provisional games (unless adding the new Pro 14 teams...?)

[dtaai-maai]

In which case so did I you dopy git!

[pharvey]

In which case so did I you dopy git!

please delete

Moved....

[pharvey]

From: - https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/ ... can-venues

"The fate of the British & Irish Lions tour this summer remains up in the air with a final decision having been deferred until next week. Lions officials, however, have ruled out any prospect of relocating the tour to Australia, and shifting it to the UK and Ireland will only happen if the government agrees to underwrite any potential losses in the event of another Covid-19 surge.

Until now staging the tour behind closed doors in South Africa in July and August had been viewed as a last resort but organisers may yet be left with little other option. Holding the matches in empty stadiums would be a passion killer on many fronts but it would enable the three-Test series to proceed as originally scheduled."

[pharvey]

Fairly obvious that I love my rugby, and the British & Irish Lions is a highlight - I had (well have) placed a deposit for this tour (obviously cancelled my "potential" booking)........ But am not sure this (tour) is the correct decision - quite frankly a risk with the Covid-19 issue/vaccine rollout in SA, crowds unlikely so further financial problems. Then again, as a Welsh supporter I believe AWJ has remarkably played himself not only on to the tour, but one of the favorites for captaincy. Delay the tour, and it's likely it'll be a tour too far (but the guy continues to excel!)

British & Irish Lions' Summer Tour to go Ahead as Scheduled in South Africa

"The British & Irish Lions have reverted to plan A and will play behind closed doors in South Africa this summer after abandoning alternative plans to host the tour in the UK.

After weeks of speculation the Lions board and their SA Rugby counterparts now insist the series will happen in July and August, assuming the necessary Covid-19 safety precautions are in place.

As recently as Friday the preferred option was to try to rearrange the series in Britain and Ireland, with games played in empty stadiums in South Africa not seen as viable. The increasing prospect of a third Covid wave in Europe, however, and a lack of financial assurances from the government in the event of an enforced late cancellation have led to that option being shelved.

For many it will be a bittersweet announcement, with little obvious chance of Lions supporters being able to roar on their team in the southern hemisphere. Up to 40,000 travelling fans watched the team’s last series against the Springboks in 2009 but the looming spectre of no tour at all was clearly regarded as unthinkable. The South African government is understood to be supportive and a well-placed source confirmed there was “a shared will” to make the series happen.

If nothing else it is hoped the television pictures will be a positive advert for the country’s beleaguered tourist industry. “We appreciate the Lions’ faith and share their desire to see a safe and successful tour,” said Mark Alexander, president of SA Rugby. “We have been in regular contact with our government to make that a reality against the backdrop of the pandemic and its predicted progression over the coming months.

“There are serious financial implications for SA Rugby, should the event take place without any supporters in attendance, and we cannot ignore that in our considerations. But we are determined the eventual outcome will deliver the best occasion and experience for players, supporters and our commercial partners.”"

Full Article @ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/ ... ugby-union

[pharvey]

A reminder of the 2009 British & Irish Lions to SA....

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[dtaai-maai]

^^Thanks Pietro, very interesting. Good to see a young AWJ looking not a day over 37, as well as one of my all-time rugby heroes Gerald Davies. Favourite character, the Irish bagman. Favourite player? Tricky, but Vickery is always near the top of my list.

[pharvey]

Vickery was/is a class act on and off the field (not to mention Master Chef!!)..

For the 2009 Lions - Scott Gibbs.. dear God. The antithesis of a "Soft Center"!