B&I Lions are at it, already

AND so it begins. The British and Irish Lions this week started their 10week odyssey of New Zealand. The puff of smoke from the wheels on touchdown in Auckland had hardly subsided when they started whining about the lack of preparation before their tour opener. They never get tired of that old chestnut.

ANOTHER constant on Lions' tours are injuries. Kiwi-born utility back Jared Payne suffered a calf strain and was ruled out of yesterday's tour opener in Whangerei. He won't be the last player to miss a game through injury.

“THIS is a momentous day for South African rugby and in November, when the decision is made, we hope it will ignite the beginning of a six-year journey to a climatic conclusion at the National Stadium in Johannesburg in front of 84 373 spectators in the biggest and most spectacular Rugby World Cup final there has ever been,” crowed SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux in a press release to mark the handover for South Africa's 2023 World Cup bid in Dublin this week.

“South Africa has the hunger and capacity to host this tournament like no other country on earth,” he continued, treading the murky waters of the wholly unsubstantiated.

WE can't say we were shocked when Losi Filipo was shown a yellow card within the first few minutes of Samoa's Under-20 World Championship match against England this week. He grabbed an England player around the neck following a restart and was sin-binned for his transgression. Filipo, you may recall, was the Wellington Rugby Union player who lost his contract last year after pleading guilty to the assault of four people, including two women, in a late night brawl. He also stomped on the head of one of his victims. He was originally discharged without conviction but the verdict was later overturned to nine months’ supervision. He scored two tries for Samoa in the 74-17 drubbing they suffered at the hands of England.

FRANCE forwards coach Yannick Bru was ever the diplomat when asked if now was a good time to play the Springboks. They suffered eight defeats in 12 tests last year but Bru knows better than to rubbish the Boks before a home series. “It is never a good time to play Boks at home. We are expecting a physical team. We know they had a difficult season but they've made changes. We remain an outsider to win the test series.”

WE don’t know whether it’s recouping losses or just plain old greed but on the historic occasion of the first ever Super Rugby match in Samoa, ticket prices for the match between the Blues and the Reds were set between $NZ20 (R183) and $NZ250 (R2288). According to a report in stuff.co.nz, the minimum wage in Samoa is $NZ1.30 (R11.90).