Irish Examiner view: Lions party for South Africa an example of the power of unity

British and Irish Lions Head Coach Warren Gatland. Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

At a moment when so many of the relationships underpinning the stability enjoyed across these islands are threatened by everything from the possible election of anti-science fundamentalist Edwin Poots as a Northern Ireland political leader to the excesses of the unanchored Downing Street incumbent Boris Johnson - and almost everything in between - anything that reminds us of our common purpose must be welcomed.

Yesterday's announcement url=of the 37-man Lions squad to tour South Africa is one such moment. It, albeit in a minor key, reminds the English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish sports fans of how the sum total of talent is often far greater than the sum total of individual talent.