Aussies offer a surprise Lions tour rescue plan

AUSTRALIA have made a shock offer to stage the under-threat Lions tour to South Africa this summer.

Rugby Australia chairman Hamish Mclennan has put forward the proposal to the Lions and the Springboks in a bid to rescue the three-test summer showdown in July and August.

The move comes after a week when Lions bosses considered four options: proceed in front of no fans in South Africa; stage the matches on UK soil; postpone the tour until 2022; or cancel altogether.

However, Australia have offered the idea of games being staged in their country, where sporting crowds have already started to return.

Up to 30,000 fans a day are about to attend the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne, while Australia successfully staged the Rugby Championship after South Africa withdrew during the autumn.

Although travelling Lions supporters would probably not be permitted, Mclennan feels they could tap into the thousands of exiled Welsh, English, Scottish and Irish rugby fans who live in Australia.

Mclennan said one or two of the Test matches would be played in Perth, due to the strong expat community in Western Australia and more favourable time zones, which would appeal better to TV companies.

The other Test, he argued, should be held in the east, probably Sydney or Brisbane.

The Lions could also meet Australian Super Rugby teams for warm-up games ahead of the three Tests as part of the plan.

“I spoke to Jurie Roux, the CEO of South African Rugby, a few weeks ago and offered to host the tournament here, considering how dire the Covid situation is in the UK and South Africa,” revealed Mclennan.

“We learned through the Trinations that our government can bring high-performance athletes into the country and quarantine them. Despite the difficulties, we need to keep the world moving as best we can.

“So this was a lateral offer and solution to an issue those guys are facing.

“It would actually work because there are so many UK and South African residents and expats who reside out here, so we could fill stadiums.

“They may choose to go somewhere else, but the offer is there.”