Expand Lions, All Black great Fitzpatrick says

NEW ZEALAND great Sean Fitzpatrick has entered the debate over the future of the British and Irish Lions by claiming their tours should be expanded not abandoned.

It is 12 years since the Lions won a series, with their recent victory over South Africa in the final Test ending a credibility-damaging run of seven successive defeats.

The 28-9 triumph in Johannesburg concluded an epic series that made for gripping viewing, yet questions persist over the relevance of the Lions in the professional era. Fitzpatrick, who won three of his 92 caps when he led the All Blacks to victory against the elite of British and Irish rugby in 1993, believes they remain a major force that must be preserved.