Gatland’s lifeline has kept romance of the Lions alive

THE very idea of the British and Irish Lions has been sorely tested over the last century, with war, revolution, the Troubles and separatist referendums all threatening the ties that bind the four nations.

But the bonds forged by sport are strong, and not even shamateurism and professionalism could break that unique touring party. The Lions organisation has stayed on top of the pressure cooker, and the funds generated by the quadrennial fiesta are enough to persuade even the most mercenary player that he should be on board.

The Lions play up that romance for all it’s worth, milking the gullible for their €100 replica jerseys and full range of red leisurewear. The tour is a huge boon to the economy of New Zealand, estimated at $250million (€160m).

The world’s most rugby crazy nation — of just five million inhabitants — against the pick of four other nations less crazy for the sport, ranking it between 2nd and 4th in its national affections.

But set all that aside and it comes down to a simple equation. Two islands versus two islands, and a particularly noisy set of bragging rights. It has been a mess of a tour to date for Warren Gatland, losing two of four midweek matches, drawn one and shown little evidence that he had a coherent plan to outwit his opposite number. Himself a Kiwi with enormous ambitions to coach his national side, it is almost Shakespearean in the scope of its comedy and tragedy that Gatland should have spent the tour talking his way out of the job. He has made enemies and alienated the players and media he would have to work with if he were to pip Joe Schmidt to the post in 2019. And just as the tour threatened to run off the rails, along comes the great All Black hero Sonny Bill Williams, whose moment of madness delivered Gatland a lifeline. This week, battered bodies will be bidding to do what has only been done once before. When they go home they will be Irishmen, Englishmen, Scots and Welsh. But for this week they are the Four Proud Provinces of Gatland.