‘His lack of touch so far suggests a repeat of the 2005 nadir could be on the cards’

THIS Saturday’s first Test will answer many questions about the British and Irish Lions. But perhaps not the most pertinent of all.

Are we, in fact, witnessing the death throes of a concept out of step with modern sport, a noble idea now so bastardised by commerce and petty politics as to have lost its very soul? Before you start howling in protest, a couple of important points need to be made. And accepted as fact.

No, the weekend win over a Maori XV of decent standing does not ‘move the debate on’ or ‘switch focus back on to the rugby’. Not by a long chalk.

Nor should even a Lions win in their first crack at the All Blacks this coming Saturday be allowed to completely override genuine concerns about a tour too far.

Ask yourself, genuine rugby fans, how much you actually care about the men in red destined to take the field at Eden Park. Come on, be honest now. Now, ponder on how you would

really feel if Lions head coach Warren Gatland ended up presiding over a miserable humiliation in his home nation. Is that a smile playing around your lips? Surely not.

There are local reasons, rooted in rivalry and indignation, for fans in Scotland to feel less than troubled by the prospect of Wales’ Gatland getting his comeuppance in this part-time role.

Sticking with old favourite Alun Wyn Jones after he’d been embarrassed by the Gray brothers at Murrayfield, with neither Scot even considered for Lions selection, remains a bone of contention.

The Lions now calling up another four Welshman — plus two Scots, admittedly — as cover, purely on the basis that they happened to be touring in Australia, also sticks in the craw of supporters who feel that Gatland and his coaches are devaluing the famous jersey.

When Sir Ian McGeechan is calling you out on live TV for playing fast and loose with the honour of representing the Lions, only the most arrogant of men could fail to feel chastened.

Call-ups dictated by geography and a willingness to bring your own boots may all have been part of the jolly fun in the amateur era.

If you’re Standard Life or one of the other blue-chip companies throwing millions at this tour, though, the least you can expect is a degree of professionalism when it comes to selection.

That is, of course, if you actually care about the rugby.

To be honest, a Lions tour now feels just like another social event on the sporting calendar.

We all know people who don’t like golf but get hyped as hell for the Ryder Cup. Folk who wouldn’t recognise an F1 car if it was hurtling towards them at 200mph, yet tune in to the Monaco Grand Prix every year.

Well, it feels as if the Lions has long since ceased to be the great holy grail of true rugby fans, most of whom are far more interested in how their own nations are faring this summer.

You know, don’t you, that certain travelling Lions punters are merely members of that beery elite blessed with enough disposable cash — and free time — to sign up for three weeks on the lash with Ollie, Jacko and the lads halfway round the world. And maybe catch a bit of sport as a bonus.

In the club houses and rugby boozers, too, you’ll find a whole load of interlopers who love nothing so much as an ‘event’. Doesn’t matter what game it is. As long as they’ve been told that it’s, like, absolutely massive.

We thought the whole Lions project had reach a nadir back in 2005, when Sir Clive Woodward and Alastair Campbell (official spin doctor to the finest rugby players Britain and Ireland could find) were so widely ridiculed on a tour of New Zealand that quickly went down in infamy.

Gatland’s lack of touch so far, among them calling up a prop with one international start for Wales and a second-row forward — another Welshman, shockingly — who isn’t Joe Launchbury or Jonny Gray, suggests a repeat may be on the cards.

A number of his initial selections were rank, while at least three of his six picks as reinforcements were guaranteed to provoke ridicule.

Lingering admiration for the heroes of old, a historical tugging of the heart strings if you like, means most of us would still rather see the Lions win.

Especially when the opposition are the All Blacks, hardly noted for their self-effacing tendencies; few northern-hemisphere hearts break when New Zealand are brought down a peg or two.

But will many of us be leaping out of our armchairs and bar stools to roar on the Lions of 2017 in their first real encounter with the enemy? Good question.

NOW there’s an international rugby team to stir the blood and stiffen the sinews.

Up to fifth in the world and with the added bonus of not having too many players dragged into exhausting and soul-destroying duty as dirt trackers for the Lions, it’s fair to say that the Scots find themselves pretty nicely placed at the onset of Gregor Townsend’s time as head coach.

Beating Australia in Sydney, exploiting weaknesses and scoring tries through opportunism and genuine invention, feels like a massive boost for Townsend.

Put your money on Scotland now, then, for a proper tilt at the Six Nations title in 2018.