Four nations must get slice of the pie

THE British & Irish Lions must get a slice of television revenue from future tours to New Zealand, South Africa and Australia if it is to receive the continued backing of the home rugby unions, Lions chief executive John Feehan has said.

The Lions currently do not receive a cut of the broadcast deal struck by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp with the Tri-Nations umbrella organisation, South Africa New Zealand Australia Rugby (SANZAR).

Primarily a TV deal for Tri-Nations and Super 12 rights, Lions tours also fall under the package but without British and Irish rugby seeing a cent.

That will also be the case in 2009 when the Lions are due to go to South Africa but Feehan believes the situation has to change if the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh rugby unions are to carry on backing the Lions.

The Lions currently depend primarily on sponsorship deals struck with major sponsors Zurich and adidas and secondary backers, Sure For Men, Guinness, ntl, and Powerade. They have bankrolled the New Zealand tour, estimated to have cost around €10 million under the stewardship of head coach Clive Woodward.

“We’ve made a modest profit from this tour and sponsorship’s the only reason,” Feehan said. “But there’s absolutely no reason why future Lions tours shouldn’t make decent profits.

“We’ve proved though that even if the costs have doubled for this tour we can still return a profit and that’s without a television deal.”

“Is it sustainable without it? It is. Is it going to provide an acceptable level of return given the investment by all four unions? Unless we get more revenue I would say that’s a more difficult question.

“This really is about being equitable. This is a major sporting event, the major sporting event from a British and Irish point of view.

"So is it equitable that only one side gets all the goodies? My view would be that it isn’t and I think SANZAR would say the same. They know it’s not sustainable for the Lions to continually be a net contributor and get nothing back.

“Suffice to say we would be uncomfortable to leave the arrangements as they stand. There’s no doubt about it, we’re a mini-World Cup (to the hosts). In the old days we would have been seen as just another incoming tour, the same as if the All Blacks came to England or Ireland in the autumn.

"The inherent value of the Lions now is so much greater than any other incoming tour and that’s the inequitable part and we need to and we are discussing that.”

Feehan was not so concerned about fears expressed by a cross-section of players, coaches and administrators in the game, that rugby club and provincial chiefs would be more reticent to release their players for future Lions tours.

The 2005 tour suffered to an extent when Welsh backs Stephen Jones and Gareth Thomas were forced to join the tour late in order to play out the French domestic season for their clubs.

Yet Feehan sees the inclusion of club’s players on a Lions tour as a benefit rather than a risk.

“The focus and profile that a Lions tour brings to rugby is a serious reason why rugby stays in the public eye.

“Without that, it’s just another season and it does raise the bar for all concerned.

“Yes, there may be some short-term considerations that certain owners are on about but I think most of them will appreciate that it really does raise their profile longer term.

“The players want it, the public wants it and I don’t think the owners would ignore any of that. Of course there will be conversations to be had but I believe we can structure it so that everybody is reasonably happy.

“Let’s put it like this, players will come back from this tour a lot more celebrated on the back of their profile being raised but it’s not just players, it’s the whole focus on rugby, it lifts it up another notch.”