Lions axe threat for England
ENGLAND players face the chop from future Lions squads if Premiership clubs don’t give the touring side a fairer crack of the whip.
That was the stark warning from Lions tour manager John Spencer amid talk of reducing the time available to celebrate the best of Britain and Ireland.
Premiership Rugby boss Mark McCafferty and outgoing RFU chief Ian Ritchie insist Lions tours must be shortened, as part of the new global season that comes into effect in 2020.
The plan is to cut them from six weeks to five – and from 10 matches to eight.
Spencer, a member of the all-conquering 1971 Lions, believes this smacks of self interest – and isn’t afraid to say so.
He said: “Every player is desperate to get on this tour. To let it fade away just for political reasons would be madness to me. It would be suicide.
“Surely once every four years we could be given an extra couple of weeks. We have to sit down, have some serious conversations and manage this.”
Spencer also fears coaches may not want to take on the Lions job if they see the chances of success undermined by rugby politics.
He added: “I think the attitude of the clubs will be that you take our players every four years and you bring them back broken, and we want to stop the overlaps in the Six Nations, that sort of thing.“
Asked if could see a point where he might advocate the Lions going without England players if they are not being released, Spencer said: “Yes I can – but I would dread the day.”