Lions Tour

hmmmm... not quite sure the good hoteliers/bar owners/restaurateurs and ancillaries of SA will look on letting the Lions play at "Home" as opposed to a postponement to another season so they can get their cut of an estimated 1 Billion Rand (about £50 Million) that the 40-50,000 Lions fans will generate.

Thatbloke wrote: I know it's a few months off yet but do we really need planes flying in from South Africa with yet more possible variants of the virus. We won't get out of this by allowing World travel to continue - pro sport/holidays/business travel whatever. Absolute joke - why are we worried about the Lions when folk are dying by the thousand?

No flights from Sth Africa allowed at present.

Personally, I don't see the point of Lions playing at home, better to postpone it - although 2033 is a tad pessimistic

Australia and New Zealand before South Africa in 2033 I think. 

If SA a no go get the Lions back to New Zealand and finish the job from the last series?😁

MikeGC wrote: Delaying the Lions for a year won’t be popular with the unions. I think Brian Moore said in an article that players suffer loss of form etc. for a year post tour. That would impinge directly on the next World Cup. If they can’t/won’t/shouldn’t go to South Africa then in my opinion, the tour should be cancelled or at least deferred until the next Lions cycle.

Edited by islander - 06 Jan 2021 at 11:46

Raider999 wrote: islander wrote: MikeGC wrote: Delaying the Lions for a year won’t be popular with the unions. I think Brian Moore said in an article that players suffer loss of form etc. for a year post tour. That would impinge directly on the next World Cup. If they can’t/won’t/shouldn’t go to South Africa then in my opinion, the tour should be cancelled or at least deferred until the next Lions cycle. <div id="ypm-extension" ="ypm-extension"=""> agree MGC - delay to 2022 almost certainly so unpopular with Home Unions (and English clubs, and also Aus/NZ due to host Eng/Ire at that time) that they'd decline to release players... looks very challenging to go to SA this July & things would have to improve pretty rapidly in UK to stage it here at that time, so yes, I'm thinking 2024 or 2025 might be necessary. But with the Lions' name/brand/tradition/ethos/magic/influence/significance (delete as applicable) waning - I hate to say that but regret it's true - could they survive a 7/8 year absence? lot of money riding on all this, maybe that will somehow lead to a solution being found - that's as optimistic as I can manage right now  <div id="ypm-extension" ="ypm-extension"> Possibly more to the point, SARU may well go broke without money from the Lions tour. If the tour is cancelled and not rearranged for 2022 would it be an idea to put the cycle back 4 years so the tours remain in sequence but 4 years behind?

Pappashanga wrote: Maybe they should play somewhere neutral, like Dubai

Really, there have been numerous people returning from Dubai who have contracted the virus.

Also playing elsewhere does nothing to address the financial problems SARU face if there are no crowds.

I hope not. All this hypothetical speculation from the media isn't helpful. It is possible  to do it at the worst case scenario. At the extreme end  you could just require those on the official Lions tour to get a negative test or vaccine certificate before getting on the plane, have specific hotels with specific isolated excursions every day, sit all Lions fans together  in a stadium (like football , though I know the thought of that will be sickening to all) and have designated Lions pubs. It will be possible providing we have the support of the South African government.

Off topic

South Africa is in total crisis,their health system is nearing collapse,travel is banned and yet all a few half wits want is for thousands of brits to travel their(and return) so they can watch a game of rugby.Ofcourse,the govt should assist in sending brits there and ofcourse,its the govts fault when they return with the virus and its no doubt the govts fault for overwhelming the SA health service.