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'If we do go fishing...': Lions quip over gunboat standoff that unfolded at pre-tour Jersey base

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

The last thing Warren Gatland would have imagined to be hearing about on the same day that he announced his 37-strong 2021 Lions tour squad was that the British Government had sent the Royal Navy to patrol the waters near the Jersey port of Saint Helier on the Channel Island where the tourists will first assemble for training in June.  

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Jersey was last month chosen by Gatland as the place for his newly announced squad to come together in a secluded area of Britain ahead of the June 26 pre-tour match versus Japan in Edinburgh.

With the pandemic requiring the Lions to set up a virus safety bubble around their preparations, the New Zealander felt Jersey would be an ideal base to start hatching his plan to defeat the world champions Springboks. 

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The crazy reaction on the RugbyPass Fanzone to the 2021 Lions squad announcement

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The crazy reaction on the RugbyPass Fanzone to the 2021 Lions squad announcement

However, rather than the arrival of the Lions being the biggest story of the island’s summer, protests by angry French fishermen materialised this week, resulting in Royal Navy and French police boats moving into waters near St Helier port in an effort to keep the peace before the protest broke up later on Thursday.

“I wasn’t expecting that… I’m only concentrating on the rugby side so I have got no idea about the other stuff that is going on. We have just got to make sure if we do go fishing we don’t go out too far,” quipped Gatland when asked about the issue dominating the Jersey conversation and whether it could persist and affect the preparation plans the Lions have next month on an island that sources 95 per cent of its electricity via three undersea cables from France. Cutting off that supply was threatened during some tense sabre-rattling.    

“The thing about the Jersey decision was they have got a fantastic facility over there. The way things are at the moment, we will get some sort of normality for a week or so while making sure we are conscious of being safe in doing what we do. The big challenge for us is being in a bubble in South Africa and potentially having to quarantine when we come back from.

“If you look at the two-week camp before we go on tour, you could be up to ten weeks away from home in a bubble. The rugby side takes care of itself so it’s important for me that we get the other stuff right and try and think about players, their well-being and mental health as much as anything. The rugby is going to be the easy part. If we get the other stuff right we have got a chance of performing on the field.”

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Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

8 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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