Millar favours longer tours for Lions

New International Rugby Board vice-chairman Syd Millar today insisted the domestic leagues in Britain must be prepared to alter their schedules to give the British and Irish Lions every opportunity of success.

Millar, who was announced as Rob Fisher’s successor as vice-chairman on Sunday, insists the Lions lost in Australia last summer because the players had been denied the necessary rest by a long and punishing domestic season.

Australia took the series 2-1 and immediately the 10-match tour was over, coach Graham Henry called for changes ahead of the 2005 trip to New Zealand.

The Kiwi proposed scrapping midweek games and travelling with a smaller squad to maximise preparation time in between Saturday games.

However, Millar’s proposal would be to increase the number of matches on tour, allowing each member of the squad ample opportunity to pitch for a place in the Test side.

And to do that, Millar insists changes to the domestic programme will be required.

“We need to increase the number of matches the Lions play,” he said.

“It takes a Lions tour six to eight matches to identify a Test side, and a 12 or 13-game tour would allow that. You must give people the chance to challenge for a Test place.

“We have to schedule the leagues to ensure that Lions players have a proper pre-tour rest.”

He added: “The reason why the last Lions did not beat Australia in the Test series was to my mind to do with fatigue and injury.

“In future Lions years, we have to schedule the home leagues to ensure that these guys have a proper chance to rest.”

Millar, the current Lions chairman, also backed calls from the Tri-Nations countries for a return to longer tours, rather than one-off Tests.

Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will all play England this autumn, but each will play only one other home nation on their European tours, and very few preparation games.

Miller has backed the idea of longer tours to Europe and would not rule out marrying the northern and southern hemisphere seasons.

He told BBC Sport Online: “As the game evolves, we might find that we can grow the seasons together so that these things are possible.”