Australia tour will raise £10m for Lions
THE Wallabies are prepared to reinforce their Lions offer by making the summer tour pay to the tune of up to £10m.
Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan told The Rugby Paper last night: “All the Lions and South Africa need to do is say ‘yes’ and we will do the rest. The Lions will walk away with a nice cheque and so will the Springboks. To me, it’s a no-brainer.
“There are many plusses and one of the biggest ones is that by bringing the tour here, the Lions stay true to their tradition of playing in the southern hemisphere.
“It would be unique for everyone concerned. Staging a world-class event like this would do wonders for rugby throughout Australia by putting it front and centre of a very competitive market.
“Our Government takes great pride in showing
they can get big events off the ground and make them work, like the terrific Test cricket series against India and the Australian tennis Open now on in Melbourne.
“We hosted the Tri Nations against New Zealand and Australia before Christmas. The Lions tour will be like that – on steroids! We didn’t know what to expect with the Tri Nations because of the pandemic but it was a great success. The All Blacks and Pumas stayed in a bubble and they had a ball, on the beach in glorious weather. The Lions will have a great time.’’
The Lions board, composed of all four home countries, had planned to make a decision by close of play on Friday. Instead talks will resume this week with support for Australia understood to be growing as the third option behind staying in South Africa this July as scheduled or relocating a four-Test series to Britain and Ireland.
The world champions want to keep a tour which only comes round once every 12 years despite no British or Irish fans travelling. None will be allowed into Australia whose borders are expected to remain closed until the end of the year.
Rugby Australia points to the large ex-pat British, Irish and South African communities as proof that they have crowds of their own large enough to fill the largest venue, Sydney’s 82,500 capacity former Olympic Stadium.
“The appetite to see the tour take place here is so great that if we are allowed to sell every seat in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, every
ticket will be sold,’’ says McLennan.
“There is no Covid in Queensland or Western Australia and in New South Wales we are very confident we will be allowed 50 per cent capacity – and that’s the worst-case scenario.
“We will fill whatever capacity is available and back up the matches with some innovative marketing.
“I’d rather the Lions tell us what they want in terms of the number of matches. They have to make a decision and if it goes our way, we will make it a success.
“If we get the nod, we will firm up on ticket prices in consultation with the Lions and the Springboks. The sky’s the limit.’’
Despite Covid restrictions, Australia’s annual three-match State of Origin Rugby League series drew crowds of 110,585 in Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney three months ago.
By contrast, the Lions cannot be sure that the home venues earmarked for an alternative series will be operating at even 25 per cent capacity come July.
Sources have told The Rugby Paper that the contingency plan for four Tests in Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh and Twickenham has provoked an awkward question from the Springboks:
“Why are you prepared to play four Tests in the UK and Ireland but only three in South Africa? Why can’t you play four Tests here? This is our tour.’’
The Lions said at the start of the year they would meet throughout January and “into February, if required to review all the relevant information and data”.
Unless a decision is made this week, the issue will drag on into a third month.
Rugby Australia’s invitation, as revealed by The Rugby Paper, arrived late last month as an intriguing solution to what one Lions powerbroker calls a “complex problem”.