LIONS MAY GO ON TOUR AT HOME!

THE British and Irish Lions could be set for a ‘home’ tour after Boris Johnson announced plans for a summer return for sports crowds.

Switching matches away from South Africa, where eight fixtures are scheduled for July and August, would be unprecedented in the history of rugby’s greatest touring team.

But it has emerged as the most attractive option following the unveiling of the Government’s “roadmap” for easing Covid restrictions in England.

The Prime Minister said crowds of 10,000 could be permitted in 40,000-plus capacity venues after May 17, with a view to all restrictions being lifted on June 21 so that even more fans could see Owen Farrell (above) and the Lions in action.

The Lions will not make a decision before next month and it is unclear whether the rest of the UK and Ireland will follow the English roadmap.

With next to no chance of fans being able to attend games in South Africa, Rassie Erasmus, the Boks’ director of rugby, said the world champions were “desperate” to play the Lions and, if the series could not be played in South Africa, they would “go to option Z to make it happen”.

A SEASON or two ago, I bemoaned the lack of quality central defenders in the top flight.

The fact that since then only Virgil van Dijk, at his best, would have got anywhere near a World XI has proved me right.

Now we can throw goalkeepers into the mix, too, because this hipsterisation of the game is afflicting them.

Remember Peter Schmeichel, Petr Cech, Edwin van de Saar, David Seaman…? The list goes on.

They inspired confidence because they made saves, led their defensive lines and did the basics well.

Even Nigel Martyn, Tim Howard and Brad Friedel guaranteed dependability because they did the bottom-line stuff goalkeepers need to do.

Now we have this whole, ‘Who’s the keeper who can play the best?’ nonsense, and you can see what getting caught up in it has done to David De Gea (above).

Goalkeepers should be there to pass a ball 10 yards maximum, but nowadays you have to be seen to be doing a Cruyff turn or stepover before pinging a raking pass.

We’re trying to create Jacks of all trades instead of just expecting keepers to do what they’re supposed to — which is keep the ball out of the net.