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Lions Tour

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12357…136

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    #122
    sydthebeat
    Subscribers Posts: 41,074 ✭✭✭✭sydthebeat


    Former Former Former wrote: »
    Only got around to reading yesterday's ST today, but Stephen Jones picked his Lions touring squad. Only three Irish players made the grade; Furlong, Ryan and ummm, Cooney. For context, Scotland had six players named.

    Duncan Taylor at 13 says enough about that WUM


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    #123
    irishbucsfan
    Registered Users Posts: 37,978 ✭✭✭✭irishbucsfan


    Why


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    #124
    Richie_Rich89
    Registered Users Posts: 1,066 ✭✭✭Richie_Rich89


    Taylor's a good player. I can see him making the squad, if he's not injured.


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    #125
    Louis Friend
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 590 ✭✭✭Louis Friend


    Former Former Former wrote: »
    Only got around to reading yesterday's ST today, but Stephen Jones picked his Lions touring squad. Only three Irish players made the grade; Furlong, Ryan and ummm, Cooney. For context, Scotland had six players named.

    Ridiculous from Jones as usual.

    Furlong will travel, Healy may travel, Ryan will travel, Stander will travel, Murray will travel, Sexton will travel, Ringrose will travel and Larmour may travel.


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    #126
    Burkie1203
    Registered Users Posts: 11,175 ✭✭✭✭Burkie1203


    Rainbow cup and Lions Tour doomed


    https://twitter.com/Independent_ie/status/1346267685672394753?s=19


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    #127
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,246 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    Mmm whilst I don't think the Lions tour will actually happen, the start of that article contradicts itself....

    "The Covid variant circulating in South Africa could be resistant to vaccines, a leading expert has suggested, but reckons it could take just six weeks to develop a new jab if needed"


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    #128
    irishbucsfan
    Registered Users Posts: 37,978 ✭✭✭✭irishbucsfan


    They weren’t going to be vaccinating massively down there before the tour anyway. They haven’t even gotten a date for the arrival of the vaccine, Q2 is optimistic.


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    #129
    sprucemoose
    Registered Users Posts: 2,201 ✭✭✭sprucemoose


    irishbucsfan wrote: »
    The Lions tour isn’t going to happen outside South Africa.

    If it can’t happen this year, it’ll be postponed to next year

    next year causes a backlog of games so i dont think its as straightforward as that, especially if it would still be in late july/august - season, lions, season, world cup would not be a good schedule at all. also, from the sounds of it SA are making even more of a balls of covid than we are, not unimaginable that they will still have big problems next summer even.

    we're living in very unprecedented times, a home lions tour this summer would be far from the strangest thing to happen if it generates some bit of money for all involved


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    #130
    Louis Friend
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 590 ✭✭✭Louis Friend


    With England, Ireland, and Wales off to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa respectively in 2022, that’s a big problem.

    I think a home series with big gate receipts and a separate tv deal could be just what all of the unions need. Sky are reportedly against a home series and may pass on it. Amazon paid circa £20m for that awful Autumn Cup. What would they pay for a unique Lions series?


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    #131
    roverjoyce
    Registered Users Posts: 312 ✭✭roverjoyce


    Living with the lions 1997 - the original on sky sports now

    One every week for the next 7 weeks

    Better than netflix


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    #132
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,246 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    roverjoyce wrote: »
    Living with the lions 1997 - the original on sky sports now

    One every week for the next 7 weeks

    Better than netflix

    Earlier ones definitely better before they came sanitised and PC. By the time the 2009 tour came along the documentary was rubbish.


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    #133
    Louis Friend
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 590 ✭✭✭Louis Friend


    Social media killed a lot of the craic for the players as well. ‘09 was probably the last ‘safe’ tour.


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    #134
    hurleronditch
    Registered Users Posts: 656 ✭✭✭hurleronditch


    Sheep Shagger wrote: »
    Earlier ones definitely better before they came sanitised and PC. By the time the 2009 tour came along the documentary was rubbish.

    Let’s be honest, the lions on and off the pitch peaked in 1997. The blend of the novelty of sky sports presentation and production value, improved professionalism of the players, but with the old school mentality of beasting them in training and going on the absolute lash when required was perfect, especially when they won the series.

    Everything else since has been a bit forced. Miles Harrison, Greenwood, Quinell at al screaming “IMMMMMMORATALLLITY” at us at every turn has turned me right off.

    Ill still watch whenever it’s on and love to see the Irish lads get picked and go well, but I won’t miss it if it’s not on either.


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    #135
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,246 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    Louis Friend wrote: »
    Social media killed a lot of the craic for the players as well. ‘09 was probably the last ‘safe’ tour.

    While it wasn't social media, 2005 in NZ had people taking pics of players out on their camera phones and sharing around.

    You can't blame players for not wanting to be put in public having a few beers, in between people taking photos you have arseholes **** stirring looking for a reaction they can share on WhatsApp.


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    #136
    Louis Friend
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 590 ✭✭✭Louis Friend


    Ah, it didn’t. Yes ‘97 was big and it kind of brought the Lions back to the fore, but, aside from the dross in 2005, it’s been excellent since.

    I was lucky enough to be in the Gabba in 2001 for ‘Waltzing O’Driscoll’, I was in South Africa in 2009, and I was in Sydney to see the Lions win the 2013 series in style.

    But it would be hard to top Wellington in 2017 and the Lions’ win in the rain. Bye bye Sonny Bill, the tries like Falateu’s.

    Honestly, it didn’t peak in ‘97. It’s been super since.


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    #137
    hurleronditch
    Registered Users Posts: 656 ✭✭✭hurleronditch


    Louis Friend wrote: »
    Ah, it didn’t. Yes ‘97 was big and it kind of brought the Lions back to the fore, but, aside from the dross in 2005, it’s been excellent since.

    I was lucky enough to be in the Gabba in 2001 for ‘Waltzing O’Driscoll’, I was in South Africa in 2009, and I was in Sydney to see the Lions win the 2013 series in style.

    But it would be hard to top Wellington in 2017 and the Lions’ win in the rain. Bye bye Sonny Bill, the tries like Falateu’s.

    Honestly, it didn’t peak in ‘97. It’s been super since.

    Having attended all of them, I think it’s fair to say you are a Lions fan!!

    I’m sure I’d enjoy it if I ever went, but no chant/song/refrain in any sport in the world irritates me as much as a bunch of English lads on a £10k a man package deal screaming lions, lions, lions over and over again, would do my nut in 😂


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    #138
    Louis Friend
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 590 ✭✭✭Louis Friend


    hurleronditch wrote: »
    Having attended all of them, I think it’s fair to say you are a Lions fan!!

    I’m sure I’d enjoy it if I ever went, but no chant/song/refrain in any sport in the world irritates me as much as a bunch of English lads on a £10k a man package deal screaming lions, lions, lions over and over again, would do my nut in 😂

    I missed 2005 (thankfully).

    Funny you say it, but at Eden Park in 2017, we were outnumbered by the All Blacks fans and it showed. And then in Wellington, it was is if Middle England had arrived and the “Lions! Lions! Lions!” chants were a welcome sight and sound.

    The English you meet on the tours, like at rugby generally, tend to be sound. And you’re chanting “Lions!” with them.

    The tours are amazing craic.


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    #139
    irishbucsfan
    Registered Users Posts: 37,978 ✭✭✭✭irishbucsfan


    They’re currently having to do 7-8k tests for all fans who attended the Australia v India cricket match in Melbourne, a guy who attended it MIGHT have caught the virus there. The cost of that and the demands that puts on the health system are a good indicator of why an international tour is never going to be profitable. And that’s at 25% capacity in a country that have had very low numbers since September.

    Hard to see the UK/Ireland getting there in time for the tour organisers to do this, hard to see the authorities being comfortable with assisting in this. Especially given the touring side are coming from a nation with a scary variant of the virus. They’d have to be making that decision by February at the latest you’d have to think.


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    #140
    hahashake
    Registered Users Posts: 827 ✭✭✭hahashake


    I'm guessing there is no appetite for a concurrent national teams tours and the Lions tour next year.


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    #141
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,246 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    hahashake wrote: »
    I'm guessing there is no appetite for a concurrent national teams tours and the Lions tour next year.

    Player welfare groups would never allow it- and rightly so, also national tours would become a joke with players protected given they'd want to play for the Lions.


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    #142
    StevenToast
    Registered Users Posts: 3,378 ✭✭✭StevenToast


    Postpone the south africa lions tour until 2025....

    Problem solved

    "Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining." - Fletcher



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    #143
    hahashake
    Registered Users Posts: 827 ✭✭✭hahashake


    Sheep Shagger wrote: »
    Player welfare groups would never allow it- and rightly so, also national tours would become a joke with players protected given they'd want to play for the Lions.

    Concurrent not consecutive.


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    #144
    PTH2009
    Registered Users Posts: 37,885 ✭✭✭✭PTH2009


    If this UK & Ireland tour gets the go ahead its hard to see them playing a test match in Ireland without a full Croke Park (a lot may come down to the governments stance on mass gatherings and we all know how cautious they are)

    Id go in a heartbeat like many others here, even a trip over to the UK (Wembley/Twick/Cardiff etc) would be brilliant


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    #145
    thomond2006
    Registered Users Posts: 45,433 ✭✭✭✭thomond2006


    StevenToast wrote: »
    Postpone the south africa lions tour until 2025....

    Problem solved

    The Aussies will love that idea.


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    #146
    AbusesToilets
    Registered Users Posts: 9,990 ✭✭✭AbusesToilets


    It's harsh to say that SA should lose an opportunity for a tour, but imo it's a fair reflection for the mismanagement of the government and Union as a whole.


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    #147
    Dav010
    Registered Users Posts: 14,071 ✭✭✭✭Dav010


    AbusesToilets wrote: »
    It's harsh to say that SA should lose an opportunity for a tour, but imo it's a fair reflection for the mismanagement of the government and Union as a whole.

    Remember that they are the current World Rugby champions, so it is as a privilege to tour and play there. Also, judging sports on the performance of the country’s government isn’t smart, we would suffer by that metric.


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    #148
    FlubberJones
    Registered Users Posts: 893 ✭✭✭FlubberJones


    Have been considering the trip myself but with the current situation and the dialogue coming from the respective rugby leadership it's a real gamble to look at booking anything. Which is a huge shame this would / will be an incredible tour and such a great location.


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    #149
    OldRio
    Registered Users Posts: 5,927 ✭✭✭OldRio


    It comes down to Money, (that's all the Lions is nowadays and has been for a long time) Versus Health.

    I would hope the answer is obvious.


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    #150
    Paul Smeenus
    Registered Users Posts: 4,365 ✭✭✭Paul Smeenus


    AbusesToilets wrote: »
    It's harsh to say that SA should lose an opportunity for a tour, but imo it's a fair reflection for the mismanagement of the government and Union as a whole.

    Not everything is a punishment or a judgement. It's a world-wide health crisis that we are trying to muddle through, with varying degrees of success.

    It doesn't matter if SA "deserve" or "don't deserve" it if it's not safe.


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    #151
    hahashake
    Registered Users Posts: 827 ✭✭✭hahashake


    If we are talking rewards/punishments then NZ deserves to settle the draw. ;)

    Seriously though, after the last 10 months, a socially distanced (i.e. not capacity) Ireland & UK 2020 tour seems like the best bet at this stage. Simply too hard to squeeze it in at a later date. Going ahead next year with crowds in SA would be preferable for me personally.


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