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Lions would've won with more preparation, says Spencer

By Dejan Kalinic
British and Irish Lions

The British and Irish Lions would have beaten New Zealand with more preparation, according to tour manager John Spencer.

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The All Blacks and Lions played out a thrilling 15-15 draw in the third Test on Saturday to see their series finish locked at 1-1.

Spencer felt the tourists were capable of becoming just the second Lions team to win a series against the All Blacks, if they had more time in the lead-up.

“My honest opinion is yes,” he told a news conference on Sunday.

“I think that preparation is extremely important. Gold medals are won on the training pitch, long before they are won on the rugby pitch.”

While Spencer would like more preparation time, there have been calls for shorter Lions tours.

The former England captain, 69, said there was no reason to reduce tours, with the Lions having played 10 games in New Zealand.

“I do think we really need to sit down, all the stakeholders, including perhaps ex-Lions who know what the Lions is about. They get the concept of the Lions,” Spencer said.

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“It’s not beyond the wit of man to come to some sensible agreement just for a couple of weeks every four years and that’s what I would encourage people to do.

“I think the players now have put the Lions in a very special place and we don’t want to lose that, we want to progress that, we want to encourage it, we want to inspire people to take part in the Lions.”

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Bull Shark 3 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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