Let Lions play on without travelling supporters

THE suggestion by Jurie Roux, the South African rugby chief executive, that the 2021 Lions tour could be postponed if coronavirus restrictions mean fans from the UK and Ireland cannot attend, requires close scrutiny. Roux’s suggestion that the tour would not be “commercially viable” if supporters cannot travel flies in the face of the history of Lions tours. As recently as the 1989 tour of Australia the number of travelling Lions fans was limited to a few thousand at most, with the massive boom in support coming between 2001 and 2017, with each tour attracting between 20,000 and 30,000 travelling supporters.

Even in the great tour victories in New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974, the Lions had to play not only the host nation – and their referees – but in front of packed home crowds. Rugby Union cannot afford to go into its shell on account of a spurious argument over commercial viability. The Four Home Unions and South Africa can afford to put the tour on, even if it cannot attract the usual bloated commercial bandwagon. As long as South Africa is not swamped by the pandemic, and there is broadcast coverage and, hopefully, a home crowd, the 2021 tour should go ahead.

We have just seen England play two series of Test match cricket against the West Indies, and Pakistan with only TV audiences. It has kept the top end of cricket visible, and the uplift provided to the general public is invaluable. Roux should look at the bigger picture – which is that our sport should be played whenever and wherever it can be while adhering to Covid restrictions. It should not become invisible because of a pandemic which no-one can predict.