Revamped inter-pros to spark TV bidding war
Martin Johnson, who led the tourists to glory in South Africa in 1997, on the captaincy contenders for next summer’s trip
RIVAL broadcasters are gearing up for a potential bidding war to secure the rights for the mooted inter-provincial series to be staged at Aviva Stadium later this summer. The provinces are planning to return to collective training at the beginning of June in preparation for August 10 — the fifth phase of the Government roadmap for reopening the country — when rugby is set be given the green light to resume across Ireland. It is understood that the IRFU are then planning to stage a series of provincial doubleheaders featuring Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht behind closed doors at Ireland headquarters. It is believed that the proposed inter-provincial series will be a bespoke tournament similar to New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aotearoa competition, which begins on June 13. Therefore, the broadcast rights for the proposed series are potentially up for grabs to the highest bidder. EirSport currently holds the rights to broadcast all 152 Pro14 games per season until 2021. Last year, EirSport and Virgin Media agreed to carry each other’s sports channels on their platforms. If the IRFU forge ahead with the inter-provincial series, it
WARREN Gatland has a year to decide whether AlunWyn Jones will be too old to captain the Lions on their next tour, but Martin Johnson dismisses any suggestion that the Welshman’s age should count against him.
In 12 months, the Kiwi taking charge of his third successive British and Irish crusade is due to reveal the squad to face world champions South Africa. As ever, the choice of skipper will be the subject of intense debate throughout the home nations.
Jones has vast pedigree and led the Lions to a series-sealing win over Australia in 2013. But he will be approaching his 36th birthday and Gatland has already publicly addressed that factor, asking: ‘Is he going to be a bit past it?’
Johnson’s response is emphatic. The man who captained the Lions to their last triumph over the Springboks in 1997 says: ‘You are only looking at playing four or five games on tour, so if he’s got the form, it’s not an issue. He’s certainly got the experience.
Willie John McBride was, what, 33, 34 when he did it?’
Maro Itoje is someone else who has been identified by Gatland as a candidate for the lead role and Johnson adds: ‘What you really want is a captain who is going to get in the Test team and command his position, which is tough because there are lots of good second rows around.
‘It’s all to play for. There are obviously some guys with credits already. Alun-Wyn Jones has a lot as a Lion and as Wales captain. Itoje has a lot as a player, but they’ve got to do it all again. Coaches won’t be picking off 2018, 2019 and 2020. These guys will have to be doing it in 2021.’
England captain Owen Farrell is another who Gatland will consider and Johnson says: ‘I’m sure he will be up there in the thick of it.’
Johnson’s hope is that Farrell or Jones — or anyone else with strong claims on the job who ends up being overlooked — commits willingly to a support role, as others did for him 23 years ago.
‘In 1997, I wasn’t any sort of great captain,’ he says.
‘I was very inexperienced at that point. I turned up thinking, “Christ, there are two or three guys here who have a much better c.v. than me to be captain and if they’re going to be p ***** off, it’s going to be a problem”. But they weren’t. That made it very, very easy for me to be captain.’
There is a long-established template for Lions captains in South Africa. They tend to be big, imposing second rows.
On the legendary 1974 tour, it was McBride from Ulster, then Bill Beaumont in 1980.
Johnson (right) was the rookie skipper for the first post-apartheid trip in 1997 and, in 2009, Paul O’Connell maintained the tradition for towering, intimidating figureheads.
It is such a familiar routine that, when asked about contenders for 2021, Gatland’s first thought was of the leading locks at his disposal. In a place where physicality is vital, Jones and Itoje stand out as logical options. Johnson understands the rationale. He says: ‘I get all that. Fran (Cotton, tour manager in 1997) said the same. It’s probably easier to captain from the middle of it all, where you can show that you’re right into it from the first minute and you’re in it for the full 80 minutes, which you might not be on the wing.’ Johnson recognises that a big Lions captain sends a big statement to the Springboks and he relishes the host-nation culture which demands such a mindset, adding: ‘I get it. I love it. I love South Africa and their mentality. They tell you what they think. ‘In 1997, they said, “You’re all right but your scrum is a bit weak” — and at that stage, it was. It’s not like in Australia or New Zealand where you get these mind games. In South Africa, they are just brutally honest. If they don’t think you’re any good, they’ll say so.
‘In 1997, they were big and physical and they wanted to scrummage us in that Test series. Particularly in the second Test, they had steam coming out of their ears and we were clinging on at times, but we did it.’
A lot has changed since then and there is more change afoot, with the current shutdown prompting talk of the sport facing an imminent overhaul. But Johnson hopes that the Lions — a perennially endangered species — can survive and thrive.
‘It is a wonderful, quirky throwback and it needs to be a part of the sport,’ he says.
‘People love the history of it. There is a lot of rugby these days and a lot of every sport, so it blurs a little bit, but Lions tours are always remembered because they are very rare by today’s sporting standards — and they are very big.’
Next year, Johnson hopes to visit South Africa for the tour with his family. He is a passionate fan of the country and used to relish playing there, even though it can be a punishing experience. ‘The conditions are great so there are no excuses,’ he says. ‘But they will try to smash you to pieces.’