No hurry for southern hemisphere to abandon Lions concept

Tuesday 24 November 2009
Published By: Ben Welch
International Rugby > British and Irish Lions

This summer's British and Irish Lions tour brought plenty of speculation that the concept of the team is an outdated one and that it's time to put an end to it altogether.

When the team was teetering on the brink of a second successive whitewash the naysayers were poised to condemn the great tradition forever, although a comprehensive victory over the Springboks in the final Test went some way to restoring the pride.

But whatever those from the home nations make of the quadrennial spectacle, you can be sure the host countries are big fans - particularly those in charge of the purse strings.

According to a study by SA Rugby, the six-week tour generated 1.47 billion rand (£118 million) for the South African economy - nearly ten per cent of the country's travel and tourism gross domestic product.

And acting manager director Andy Marinos observed: "A Lions tour ranks only behind the Rugby World Cup in terms of its scale and appeal."