‘It could be flimsy case in court’

The programme from the 2013 Lions dinner which was described as a ‘Night with the Cambridge University Lions’, has now been changed for the 2017 edition to a ‘Night with the Big Cats’.

One former Lion took a dim view of the shenanigans: “What those running the Lions commercial department have to ask is when is a Lion not a Lion? I suspect that if this was tested in the law courts they would have a very flimsy case.”

One of the underlying motives behind the Lions commercial department’s protectionist policy is that they have four official charity dinners to sell, in London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Cardiff over the next couple of months.

The scheduling of their London event on May 11, which is advertised at £299 per head (excluding VAT), may not be helped by being held just 24 hours after the popular and well-established RPA (Rugby Players’ Association) Dinner on May 10. At the same venue.