1 month ago
23
Lions executives are confident future tours are not under threat despite receiving no contact from leaders of the breakaway rebel league.
Proposals for the new R360 competition could clash with the Lions’ place in the sporting calendar and potentially strip them of star talent.
But CEO Ben Calveley insisted he has no concerns and discussions are already underway for the tour of New Zealand in 2029.
‘We haven’t had any formal discussions at all with R360 so I can’t comment in any detail on their proposition and their proposal,’ said Calveley.
‘What I can say and you have seen these quotes come from players at every stage throughout the tour is that they remain absolutely committed to the Lions.
'We all know that we have our place in the calendar baked into [World Rugby’s] regulation 9 and I wouldn’t see that changing in the future.
CEO Ben Calveley has no concerns and discussions for the New Zealand are underway
‘It’s up to them who they want to make contact with. I don’t really want to comment on how they manage their own business. For me, what is encouraging is that our players remain committed to the Lions.
'I think we have seen on this tour just what it means, not just to them but to the fans and the whole of the game. We are very confident that our position in the future is secure.’
Calveley added that the Lions have every intention of returning to Australia in 12 years’ time, although he is keen for other nations such as Fiji to be involved in the warm-up matches.
‘You are not going to do anything with the Tests,’ he added. Leave the Tests alone. We are really keen in doing more in the pre-tour element. You might bring different countries into that space.
'And then you could do the same with the tour matches. Would we be interested in bringing in, for example, a Fiji or a Japan? And you can think of other countries as well. Yes we would. That is a conversation we will have with New Zealand rugby to see if that is possible.
‘I would absolutely envisage returning to Australia. Just to be very clear, I know there's been loads of speculation about whether that would be the case or not, but we've had a wonderful tour here, and it is a hundred per cent our ambition to return, and we would want the next one to be bigger and better than this one. Who knows what the calendar looks like in the future.
'If nothing changes in terms of calendar configurations and so forth, then [2037] would be the expectation, yes.’
