The Lions roar again
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By Benji Crossley
In one of the least surprising announcements in recent years, an announcement of a Women’s Lions tour to New Zealand in 2027 was made overnight. Three tests and additional matches to be played here in three years time, two years after the next addition of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
The announcement, while well signposted has been met with a mixture of excitement, scepticism and intrigue. Below, I’ll take a look at some of the winners from the announcement, the questions that still need answering and the people that might be looking on with a bit of envy.
Winners
1) The Lions
The Lions are one of the biggest brands in world rugby, potentially only behind the All Blacks. But they have a glaring weakness, they’re only active once every four years. Well, not anymore. A womens tour on an alternate four year cycle means the brand gets major exposure every two years with all the advantages that come with it. The announcement tweet from the Lions (below) which announces the tour also announces two sponsors to go with it, a full three years out from the tour. That should tell you a lot about who are some of the big drivers of this.
https://twitter.com/lionsofficial/status/1747185778612945244
2) New Zealand Rugby
Make no mistake, this is huge for NZR. 2027 is a men’s RWC year which are always a financial struggle for Unions because they have to give up a chunk of their home test schedule. Well, NZR have managed to replace those lost tests with a Lions tour. It seems unlikely you’ll get the travelling support you see for a men’s tour but it’s a fair guess that these games will still be big events and draw big crowds. It also comes two years before the scheduled 2029 men’s tour. Paul Cully pointed out that NZR now get the chance to bundle two incoming Lions tours into its television rights negotiation which is sure to be an attractive proposition for broadcasters.
3) The Home Unions
The four home Unions (England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland) are the shareholders of the Lions. They, like NZR, have to give up a portion of their schedule in a RWC year so an increased dividend from the Lions might go some way to plugging that gap. Equally, any increase in the value of the Lions brand because of their increased visibility will eventually filter down to the Unions.
The Questions
1) How does it fit into the calendar?
2) What happens to the WXV in 2027?
3) Who will the midweek games be against?
4) Can we work Australia and/or the Pacific Islands into the schedule?
5) In a men’s RWC year, will the tour get enough oxygen?
Losers
1) The wider women’s game
The biggest flaw in the game right now (and this may have changed by 2027) is the lack of depth in the international game. Right now, a Lions tour here would be the Red Roses against the Black Ferns. The rest of the Home Unions are some distance back from England. For the Lions concept to be truly successful it needs to be a legitimate coming together of four countries.
The Black Ferns being the first opponent feels like it is just embedding the existing power imbalance. Hence my question above about getting Australia and the Pacific Islands into the mix. Three tests against the Black Ferns plus some midweek fixtures against the Wallaroos, Fijiana and Samoa might go some way to helping use the tour to grow the game and assist the second tier of international sides.
2) An independent development of the women’s game
Taking the most traditional (some would say antiquated) part of the men’s game and just applying it to the women’s game in basically the same model has drawn criticism. One of the lessons from RWC 2022 was the different path it was felt the women’s game could take in finding success instead of just replicating what happens in the men’s game. This feels like a major step away from that.
In saying that, Lions tours are great fun. They’re a hugely anticipated part of the rugby schedule and are massive commercial drivers in the game. If these women’s tours are anywhere near as fun or successful, then the game will be better for it.
On the whole, I am skeptical of the value of the tour but I’m sure it will still be great fun. The rugby should be good, the behind the scenes video content will be next level and the personalities we will hopefully get to see develop during the tour should bring the crowds along.
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