No. The two versions are so dissimilar. While the women are looking forward to their first ever tour in 2027, the men had to find room for 137 candles on their latest birthday cake. They have their traditions; the women’s are still in the making.
We have experienced the usual reactions to Andy Farrell’s list. Shock and disappointment for some; delight for others. Two Welshmen alongside nine Leinster-men, and it was Ieuan Evans, the Lions’ chair and a proud former Wales captain, who had to make the announcement.
The abiding fear with the women’s squad is an overwhelming number of Red Roses. That’s where the scale of the tour to New Zealand will prove decisive: the more matches scheduled, the larger the squad size, and the more chances for the three Celtic nations to be represented.
The men’s squad totals 38 players. If the women’s version were to be the same size, that would mean – in stone-cold figures – six more than the number of currently contracted Red Roses.
Then the next unpleasant detail: of the contracted Red Roses of 2027, who might be left behind to tend the garden?
Selecting the first ever Lions’ squad will be a job for people with a sure hand and a steady heart-rate. The moment you start jotting names down, you’ll see how impossible it is; not ‘who shall we include?’ But ‘who do we leave out?’
Slow progress
A feasibility study took ten months to complete, covering every possible aspect of the undertaking. It’s three years since its results were announced. They were positive.
The “Engagement” day at the Honorable Artillery Company’s home in the City of London took place six months ago. There has been little or no news of developments since then.
Rugby minds are caught up in other matters such as the men’s tour and a World Cup. But the Lions are an independent organization, so why this news blackout?
The Lions would become a meaningful substitute for 15s players who are denied the chance of appearing at the Olympics. (When will World Rugby next put in a bid for an Olympic 15s competition?)
The Questions pile up
The tour is still sufficiently far off for vital details to remain unknowable. In no particular order:
How will the Six Nations develop over the next two seasons?
Will the SVNS schedule get in the way? Or, will more players opt out of a place in the Irish and GB 7s squads to make a bid for a Lions’ shirt?
How many leading candidates will have retired in the meantime?
Will my suggestion for fixtures prove anywhere near reality? – that is, three tests plus one match against each of the four Super Aupiki franchises. Even that assumes that the shape of the Aupiki won’t alter in the meantime. There are persuasive calls for it to be enlarged.
That guess equates to two more matches than a Six Nations series. John Mitchell opted for 37 England players for those five matches, so we could imagine a Lions’ selection panel looking for 40+ names.
That would open the door to a wide variety of players.
Some underlying problems
While the number of followers of women’s rugby is growing, difficulties remain:
a. The Lions are committed to selecting the best players, not applying a quota system. It means the squad will be dominated by English players; that is the status quo in the Six Nations. Cynics might then wonder why the Red Roses shouldn’t undertake the tour on their own. To avoid that, I would rather see some modified form of quota permitted. There are talented players in Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but if selection does rely solely on quality, their numbers would be limited, a most unsatisfactory outcome.
b. Matches would take place at tricky times of the day in north-west Europe. Even an early morning or late evening kick-off in Aotearoa is liable to limit the number of people back home able to enjoy them live. There is an 11-hour time-gap between Auckland and London. A 19.00 kick-off in at Eden Park would mean 08.00 in the home nations, and so on round the clock. Take your pick.
c. By 2027 NZR would have to have found a way of attracting more people to come and support their Black Ferns team. Till now it’s been a struggle. The Post comments: “After all those record attendances in the 2022 World Cup staged here, attendances have certainly not flowed on to subsequent Aupiki competitions.” (https://www.thepost.co.nz/sport/360619721/whatever-i-can- do-black-ferns-star-katelyn-vahaakolo-her-pledge-grow-womens-game).
The players are all too aware of the empty seats. And since New Zealand represents the only obvious destination for a Lions squad, it’s vital for NZR to get the turnstiles clicking. Other nations, notably the USA, are slowly improving. The Eagles attracted over 10,000 to their latest match in Kansas City.
d. We can’t expect thousands of British and Irish supporters to fly out and support the way they do for the men. The take-up for travel packages to Australia has already reached bursting-point.
e. And after New Zealand? That strikes me as a major hurdle for the women’s Lions’ operation to overcome. Suggestions include: 1) France – decent attendances should be assured, though the Lions aren’t all that familiar a concept there. 2) Canada – they rank second to England, but attendances at WXV1 in Vancouver were pretty dire. 3) USA – crowds are growing promisingly, but rugby is still a sporting backwater there.
Of those three nations only France could hope to muster sufficiently strong opposition beyond the test matches.
The Certainties
Every British and Irish player would be proud to take part in an inaugural tour. The Lions have secured the necessary financial backing through Royal London.
The tour would be of great benefit to the three Celtic Nations, a change from the annual challenge of facing the two big beasts, England and France. Each is building an improved structure to ensure a larger number of talented players.
In turn, the tour would highlight the presence of the Black Ferns on the Kiwi rugby landscape. They remain overshadowed by the All Blacks, not least by the NZR itself. Try switching from the Ferns’ X account (now moribund) via the link, and you are overwhelmed by AB news. Of the BFs hardly a trace is to be found. And Riki Flutey recently became the fourth man to join the coaching team.
As Kiwis wait impatiently for the next men’s Lions tour, they can enjoy supporting this new initiative.
