‘Extra week and we’d have won it’
● Lions chairman and 1971 hero Spencer believes one more week of preparation would have led to a second New Zealand series win
John Spencer has insisted the British and Irish Lions would have won their Test series in New Zealand with just one more week’s preparation.
The Lions’ 2017 tour manager is determined to see the famed touring outfit receive extra preparation time for future tours.
Warren Gatland’s squad pulled off a drawn series against the back-to-back world champion All Blacks against all the odds, having flown out to New Zealand just two days after the Premiership and Guinness Pro12 play-off finals.
The Lions opened their tour with a patchy 13-7 win over the Provincial Barbarians just three days after arriving in New Zealand, but shrugged off all those problems to win the second All Blacks Test 24-21, and draw the third 15-15.
Spencer, pictured right, insists the Lions are making good progress on convincing rugby’s global administrators to add an extra week’s preparation to future Lions tours, but also conceded another week this summer could have made all the difference against New Zealand.
Asked whether the Lions would have won the All Blacks series with an extra week’s preparation, Spencer replied: “My honest opinion is yes; the preparation is extremely important.
“But I think we’re making very positive steps already, to talk about and rectify that situation.
“I’ve received incredible co-operation from the board on that, and there are four of us who are ex-lions there who know about the intensity and preparation. What I would say is that gold medals are won on the training pitch a long time before they are won on the match pitch.”
The Lions’ thrilling 15-15 draw in Auckland on Saturday night could not stop New Zealand extending their unbeaten run at Eden Park to 40 games, but both teams still come out of the series with some sense of satisfaction.
The Lions only ever led New Zealand for three minutes across the entire three-test series, but still managed to emerge with a share of the spoils.
Captains Kieran Read and Sam Warburton were jointly presented with the series trophy, leading to a set of awkward-looking post-match shots.
The Lions have still only ever won one series in New Zealand, the 1971 tour of which Spencer was a part, but head coach Gatland’s men will depart the Land of the Long White Cloud with reputations seriously enhanced.
Tour manager Spencer has already hit out at the English clubs body Premiership Rugby, warning that the Lions could embark on future trips without any England players if extra preparation times are not agreed. The
“Surely it’s not beyond the wit of man to come to a sensible agreement for a couple of weeks every four years. The players have put the Lions in a special place; we don’t want to lose that.”
JOHN SPENCER
global calendar to run after the 2019 World Cup still remains to be finalised, and the Lions are itching to sit round a table with all the game’s top decisionmakers.
Spencer refused to add to his strong comments on the Lions’ future yesterday however, when wrapping up the 2017 tour in a review press conference.
“I’ve said plenty on that particular topic,” said Spencer, of the Lions’ future planning.
“I don’t particularly want to say any more because I don’t want to detract from what the guys achieved.
“But we all need to sit down, all the stakeholders.
“And surely it’s not beyond the wit of man to come to some sensible agreement just for a couple of weeks every four years.
“The players have now put the Lions in a very special place; we don’t want to lose that.
“The Lions board are very receptive to our suggestions, from myself and the previous two tour managers.
“I think that everyone has now discussed it and we’ve agreed we need to sit down, talk about it, and talk about it in a friendly and positive way.
“There are good signs there’s a positive way forward.”
destined to take in a Test match stint sooner rather than later. Young ought to be on the radar as a potential replacement for Gatland as Wales boss. The 49-year-old former Cardiff coach appears very settled in the Premiership, and Wasps are certainly continuing to improve under his tutelage. Young understands the Lions’ ethos and demands, and has also created a heavily attack-laden Wasps team that would appeal to traditionalists who want to see the famed touring side play with flair and pace. MARK MCCALL, SARACENS Former Ulster coach Mccall’s stunning success with Saracens must not be overlooked in any conversation about Test match-calibre coaches. Whether Mccall wants a move into the Test arena remains to be seen. But the 49-year-old has built a stunning club dynasty at Saracens, where a full generation of England stars have blossomed in the same team. The spine of the 2017 Lions had a distinctly Saracens feel to it, and that could well be repeated in four years’ time. Mccall would certainly know how to set up an effective line-up, and could just add the subtle stardust to make the Lions thrive in South Africa. GREGOR TOWNSEND, SCOTLAND The former Lions fly-half, pictured above, has graduated from his coaching stint at Glasgow to lead Scotland. His foray into the Test arena represents a huge hike in challenge. But were Townsend to succeed in the coming years, he would certainly move himself into contention to coach the Lions. The 44-year-old built a Glasgow team in his playing image: fast, fleet-footed and boasting no little brain power on the ball. If he can continue to build on the groundwork laid by Vern Cotter and push Scotland forward, he will merit inclusion in the 2021 Lions coaching chat. JOE SCHMIDT, IRELAND Ireland’s Kiwi boss excelled with Clermont and Leinster, and has transferred his cerebral and detailed coaching style into the Test arena. Ireland’s maiden win over New Zealand in Chicago in November, the 40-29 victory at Soldier Field, proved his credentials once again. Schmidt’s Ireland contract expires after the 2019 World Cup, at which point he may well look to return to his native New Zealand. The 51-year-old former schoolteacher’s ambition is such that he would surely want to push for the All Blacks job in due course. Whether he could squeeze in a Lions sabbatical en route back to his homeland remains up for debate. But he certainly boasts the CV to be under serious consideration.