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'Can we campaign for the Lions to flip tour and go to South Africa?'
By Liam Heagney
A former England international has suggested that the British and Irish Lions should shelve their planned 2025 tour to Australia and instead visit South Africa. Speaking in the wake of last Saturday’s record trouncing for Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies away to Argentina, Andy Goode has claimed that Andy Farrell’s Lions should take next year’s trip to the home of the Springboks, the reigning back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions.
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Goode posed the question on The Rugby Pod following Dan Biggar’s suggestion that Australia’s second-half capitulation in Santa Fe reflected poorly on Wales given that Warren Gatland’s side lost a series 0-2 to the Wallabies in July. He is how the exchange unfolded:
Biggar: Australia, 67 points chucked on them which clearly doesn’t help Wales’ perspective looking at that after losing the series. Everyone was quite positive about Wales… so you think a bit of the positivity has been taken off of that. Wales probably doesn’t look as good with the Wallabies getting absolutely humped on Saturday night.
Goode: They were 20-3 up at the weekend and then got hosed 67-27.
Hamilton: I know there is loads going on. All I am saying is it’s a Lions year next year, how are Australia even doing anything against them? I don’t know. Maybe we can use this line, me calling them out, ‘There ain’t a chance!’
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Goode: Can we campaign for the Lions to flip the tour and go to South Africa, please?
Hamilton: You can’t!
Goode: If you want the Lions now at the end of this season and you’re picking anyone to play, it is South Africa.
While facing the Springboks would be an appetising prospect for Farrell’s Lions, a curious point made earlier in the show by Hamilton was how South Africa, despite their team’s current popularity, still struggles financially to monetise rugby.
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“One thing that is interesting, you look at the theatre around the game, some I believe in, some I don’t. Like the flyover, the fireworks, the smoke, the music, the theatre that they have created there is phenemonal but it’s crazy they are so uncommercially viable still,” he suggested.
“You look at the interest, it’s crazy, You have got the best athletes, you sell out the stadiums, you are back-to-back world champions, you are putting on games like that where everyone is watching and all the bards are full, rugby is a religion yet they can’t monetise it.”