LIONS IN DANGER Tour ‘could be axed’
NEXT year’s British and Irish Lions tour is in danger of being ditched as the home unions face up to rugby’s growing cash crisis.
They are due to tour South Africa on an eight-match trip that could earn £30million.
But England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland are all sweating over whether or not they can play this autumn’s Test fixtures – plus the four matches already held over from this season’s Six Nations due to the coronavirus shutdown.
And if those games don’t go ahead – or are played behind closed doors – then the home countries are in danger of falling into an £80m black hole.
Some officials are already discussing how that scenario would bankrupt the Scottish, Welsh and Irish unions and force them – as well as England – to make rescheduled home Tests in
2021 their top priority.
That could elbow aside the Lions tour, which would be postponed for a year or even scrapped altogether.
Former captain Phil Bennett,
71, said: “It would be a huge shame for the Lions to be shelved next year, not least because I think there would be around 30,000 fans out there.
“But we are talking about survival of the game itself.
“It’s no good the Lions tour going ahead if Wales, Scotland and Ireland are going to go bankrupt.
Those nations have to get money in through hosting international games. If the unions go bankrupt then the grassroots doesn’t get looked after and rugby at that level could simply die.” Lions tours are the biggest money-spinners in the sport – but only for the hosting country, who keep most of the cash.
And ex-Lions full-back Tim Stimpson, 46, said: “The tour could potentially be put back a year but that would have knock-on effects. “It’s very worrying. I just hope that we can get back to playing rugby as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
WAYNE PIVAC has warned that Wales will have to throw youngsters in at the deep end if the Covid-19 pandemic cuts short the build-up to the next World Cup. Coach Pivac, who took over after Japan 2019, said: “We are working towards bringing younger players in over a staged period. “But that will definitely have to be looked at if we start to lose Test games.”