Lions fail to live up to the hype
OPINION: The British and Irish Lions tour is a special occasion, a rugby treat we get to feast on every 12 years.
But underneath the hype and expectations is the reality that the Lions have been generally rubbish each time they set foot on the shaky isles.
In 38 test matches against the All Blacks, the British touring side has picked up just six wins - not to mention the 24 matches they have lost to Kiwi provincial teams over 12 tours.
The Lions tour is the most anticipated event on the rugby calendar aside from the World Cup, yet the series has been rarely competitive and they have hardly got their 2017 tour off to a cracking start.
So why have they been so dismal when playing in New Zealand?
The team features the best players from England, Ireland and Wales - plus the one or two Scots deemed worthy.
But talent has never been an issue for the Lions.
Their problem is rugby is not a game for individuals. Putting together a team is like building an intricate puzzle - while some of the pieces may look like they would work together, sometimes they don’t quite fit.
It makes for a horror of a job for the man in charge. Combinations take time and on a Lions tour, that time simply does not exist.
Earlier this year, All Blacks legend Brian Lochore said the Lions coach needs to be a good psychologist. He was bang on the mark.
It is a battle of how to deal with egos, finding the players who work well together and weeding out those who opt not to put on their best displays when playing for the composite side.
Lions coach Warren Gatland has experienced it before - and proved he was up to the task when he made the controversial call to drop Brian O’driscoll against the Wallabies in 2013.
The move copped plenty of flak. For Gatland it worked out. But had the Lions lost that match, it could have derailed the team with backroom politics.
That is not the only battle for the Lions.
They are playing at the end of the long Northern Hemisphere season with most of the players ready for a break. Instead they face a gruelling tour packed with matches in front of hostile crowds with limited preparation time.
They bear the weight of expectations of four nations, but they are doomed to fail.
Every now and then they get it right and it is that glimmer of hope that keeps the fans faithful.
With the Barmy Army in tow, the Lions tours are a cash-cow for the host nation. That will see the tours continue into the future.
But don’t fool yourself into thinking the Lions have an advantage being able to draw on the resources of four nations.
The obstacles in their way are significant meaning the Lions face a constant uphill battle to be relevant.