Scrapping the British and Irish Lions so a Home Nations team can win the next World Cup? This may divide opinion.
No sooner was the World Cup over than the Lions talk began. Who will be the coach? Who will be the captain? Will we see any Scotsmen in the starting team ever again?
Amid the din, one Irish journalist has presented the argument of scrapping the Lions.
Gerry Thornley, writing in The Irish Times, believes Ireland, and the other Northern Hemisphere countries, would stand a better chance of winning World Cups if they cut out the increasingly improbable tours.
In 2017, for example, the Lions will take part in a 10-match tour over 35 days – June 3 to July 8. They have three Tests against the world champion All Blacks, one against a representative side, a date with New Zealand Maori and five matches with Super Rugby franchises.
The week before they set off, there is the 2017 PRO12 and Aviva Premiership finals.
There is no stopping the Lions juggernaut for 2017 but another 3-0 whitewash to New Zealand – and injuries to leading European players – may bring this debate right into the open.
Sponsorship money at a cost of Northern Hemisphere success – it’s a high price to pay.
