- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The concept of a southern hemisphere equivalent to the British and Irish Lions is nothing new.
When Australian Rugby Union (ARU) chief Bill Pulver waxed lyrical about the idea earlier this week he was re-hashing thinking that has been around since the early days of the SANZAR alliance.
The idea was mooted in the early 2000s by the late South African Rugby Football Union (SARFU) president, Dr Louis Luyt and has come up for discussion in southern hemisphere rugby circles on regular occasions over the years.
When I joined SANZAR in the communications and marketing role in 2011, I suggested the concept as a possible new opportunity for the organisation. Perhaps it still is, now it is back on the discussion table.
However, as great as the idea may be, and as simple as it might seem to create and implement, there are many things that will need to be considered if it is to see the light of day.
Union support and agreement
It goes without saying the concept would have to be approved by the three SANZAR Unions and the game’s pedestrian global administration, the IRB.
Watering it down in any way or form will make it a pointless exercise. Argentina should be included.
No half measures
It has to be done properly. It cannot take the form of a one-off encounter in the middle of the Super Rugby season, as suggested by the ARU boss, or at the end of the international season. It cannot exclude any of the three SANZAR countries, or Argentina.
It has to be akin to a Lions tour, with multiple Tests and midweek games, and it has to be played in the northern hemisphere.
Timing is crucial
The appropriate year and time of year have to be considered. It could not take place in a World Cup year or Lions tour year, so it would have to be in one of the in-between years as Pulver pointed out.
It would have to take place at the end of the year at a similar time to when the southern hemisphere teams traditionally tour Europe. There is no way it could take place during the Super Rugby season.
Player welfare concerns
The concept will only work if those who have player welfare at heart are satisfied it will mean less rugby for some players – at least in every fourth season.
No doubt every player will dream of being involved, as Lions players do, and the reality is the top players would be preferred. Nevertheless, it will give other players a chance to rest and recover.
Commercialisation and administration
Obviously the concept, if executed properly, will have huge commercial value in terms of broadcast rights, sponsorship and an array of other items.
But there would be multiple coffers to fill. How will this revenue be managed and shared and how will the players be compensated?
Would this be the remit of SANZAR or would there be a committee similar to what the Lions have? Also, who will manage and coach the combined team?
Team identity
What will the team be called? What will its emblem be? What will its playing kit look like?
These are all vexing questions that will be raised and debated. Some may take more than most think to be answered too. Rugby boardrooms can be slow moving places at times. It does, however, open up a great opportunity to involve the game’s biggest stakeholders – the fans – in some of the decision-making.
There are many more issues that would require discussion but it certainly is an exciting prospect that could add great value to the global game.
Imagine…
The Southern Warriors – comprising players from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina – tour the northern hemisphere every fourth year in the year after the Rugby World Cup.
The timing is such that the tour would take place in the year before the next Lions tour and will be able to give a pretty accurate measure of the strengths between south and north.
The tour would take place in November and December. Essentially, a revised IRB tours schedule would see the four southern hemisphere teams touring individually over three seasons, as they do presently, and then collectively in the fourth, which would allow some rest time for a sizeable group of players.
The Warriors would play Tests on consecutive weekends against Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England, with a midweek game in each of these countries in between.
The tour would culminate with a fifth Test, played at Wembley, between the Warriors and what is essentially a shadow Lions combination selected from the four Home Unions.
Alternatively, the opposition could be a composite team drawn from the Six Nations.
Either way, it would be a game that features most of the world’s top players. That’s mouth-watering for any rugby fan, administrator, TV executive, sponsor or journalist.
Television rights would come at a premium and event and team sponsors and a range of other suppliers would queue up to be involved. A nine-match tour, over six weeks, would provide ample time to create leveraging value for the commercial partners too.
Could it happen?
Or will it remain a pipe dream that is dusted off and kicked around when a singular event – such as the Lions tour – shows what might be possible with some lateral thinking.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.