The British & Irish Lions are the lifeblood of the international game, and efforts must be made to secure the team’s future
The itinerary announced last week for the Lions tour to South Africa in 2021 was to many a notice of execution. Five weeks, eight matches, just two midweek outings and no games in between the three Tests. And the Gallagher Premiership final will be played one week before the opener in Cape Town against the Stormers.
When Warren Gatland returned from the 2017 trip to New Zealand, he said he would not be tempted by another tour, worn out by media ridicule in his home country and anticipating the cut in the length of future itineraries that would make planning even more difficult and threaten a core principle of the tourists: that every player will have the chance to compete for a place in the Test side.
Written by Paul Rees
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/dec/12/the-breakdown-british-irish-lions-premiership-rugby-union under the title “The Breakdown | Lions will become endangered unless they can collaborate with Premiership”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
