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With a Test series whitewash in his sights, British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell is emphatic that Australia should remain a touring venue for the invitational side.
Farrell’s side has won all eight games since arriving in Australia and can make it nine from nine with victory in the third Test in Sydney on Saturday. But he said the idea the Wallabies weren’t worthy opponents for his team was “insulting”.
“I don’t think [touring Australia] was ever off the agenda,” Farrell said. “Every single team, country, province, has their ups and downs, but Australia, the sporting nation they are, are always going to come back We’ve had a blast [in Australia] and to me it’s insulting to even talk about it in that type of way.”
Speaking at Friday’s captain run in Sydney, Wallabies captain Harry Wilson defended the strength of opposition faced by the Lions over the past six weeks.
“There’s always somebody who’s going to be negative about anything which is good for rugby, and this has been an unbelievable series,” Wilson said.
“Just for Australian rugby, for UK rugby, it’s been unbelievable and everyone’s loved being a part of it and anyone here who’s been a part of it all couldn’t say a negative word about it.
Lions Head Coach Andy Farrell has backed Australia as a touring venue for his sideCredit: Getty Images
“There’s always someone trying to tear something down but once in every 12 years, I know as an Australian, it’s been an unbelievable series to be a part of and I know every Australian has loved being a part of it.”
The Lions and Rugby Australia share all commercial and government revenue, ticket revenue and broadcast revenue under a joint-venture organisational structure.
The 2013 Lions tour of Australia drew a combined record attendance of 389,400, but that figure will be comfortably broken on Saturday when a sell-out crowd fills Accor Stadium for the third Test.
While disappointed the Wallabies lost the series, RA chief executive Phil Waugh remains pleased with the overall success of the tour, not only for Australia, but for the Lions.
The Wallabies may have lost the Test series, but the Lions tour has been as overall success.Credit: Getty Images
“Whilst the series is 2-0, you look at the 40,000 people travelling to Australia from the UK and Ireland, the intensity of the matches, the stadium infrastructure we have, the broader commercial outcomes for the Lions and economic impact for obviously Australia, but also for the Lions as an entity,” Waugh said.
“I would have thought for any country anywhere around the world, this would be an attractive place for any rugby-playing nation to tour.
“Given the Lions first toured in 1888 and that first tour was to Australia and New Zealand, we should be a very important part of any program they do going forward.”
Former British and Irish Lions captain Martin Johnson also supported the experience of touring in Australia, having led the touring side here in 2001.
“People love coming to Australia, it’s a great place to tour fan-wise ... let’s hope this tour helps you promote rugby here, it’s always been where it’s been with league and [Australian] rules, it was never the biggest sport here,” Johnson said.
“But you can still produce top players and top teams, so let’s hope the Wallabies come back to where they should be.”
French Rugby Federation vice-president Abdel Benazzi told this masthead his nation was keen to have a long-term relationship with the Lions, but is emphatic that wouldn’t be at the expense of Australia.
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“ We [the Lions and France] must do something together because the fans they love France and we love the Lions,” Benazzi said.
“They have a traditional tour in the south, but we don’t want to change anything about that ... we can plan something with them and we don’t want only one shot, we are thinking about a long-term deal with them.”
France could potentially be involved as a warm-up game ahead of the inaugural women’s Lions tour to New Zealand in 2027 and also before the men’s New Zealand tour in 2029. Discussions between France and the Lions are still at an early stage.
Benazzi, a former Test breakaway, has a close relationship with Australian rugby after spending a season playing for Warringah in the Shute Shield and was impressed by what he saw in the country after visiting Melbourne ahead of the second Test.
“I was not just impressed, I was very impressed,” he said. “For Australia, of course, with the Lions tour and the World Cup next year, in 2027, it will be a very, very major way to see the popularity of rugby union to grow even more.”
All nine matches of The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia are live & on demand on Stan Sport, with Wallabies Tests in 4K. All Test matches live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now.
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