Lions tour concerns allayed
New Zealand Rugby boss Mark Robinson has attempted to allay concerns about an English dominance in selection when the first women’s Lions team visits in a landmark tour in 2027.
The British and Irish Lions have confirmed their inaugural women’s team will come to New Zealand after NZ Rugby successfully bid to stage their first tour, with Government support of least $3.9 million.
At yesterday’s announcement in Auckland, Robinson said it would be an incredibly significant event and was another step forward for women’s rugby, 14 months after New Zealand hosted the Rugby World Cup, at which the Black Ferns became world champions for a record-extending sixth time.
“More broadly speaking, we’re excited for the whole country. We see with our leading teams in black – and with rugby around the country – what it can do for communities and major cities when we bring fantastic events and tours to New Zealand. We can inspire and unify and this is another great platform,” the NZ Rugby chief executive said.
The tour will take place around September 2027 and feature at least five matches, including three tests against the Black Ferns.
While it’s another coup for NZ Rugby in advancing the women’s game – and the anticipated raised public interest and commercial opportunities because of the famous Lions concept – there are fears in the north that a women’s Lions team would resemble a glorified England side.
The world No 1 Red Roses have won 40 of their last 41 tests and are markedly stronger than Ireland, Scotland and Wales. While each is developing its professionalism, none is anywhere near the level of England’s elite programme which has been fulltime since 2019.
Robinson is hopeful the other home nations can close the gap with England, whose only defeat since 2020 was against the Black Ferns in the 2022 World Cup final at a sold-out Eden Park.
“Three-and-a-half years is a long time in sport,” he said.
The composition of a men’s Lions team has been a hot topic since their first tour in 1888, as four sides attempt to merge into one, but how they manage it with the women’s squad could be more tricky because of England’s superiority.
The representation of each nation in the team, and how they come together, is one key aspect of the Lions’ legacy.
“I guess that’s something they’ll be working through, but we’ve seen glimpses of where Ireland, Scotland and Wales are going. They have been improving,” Robinson said.
Black Ferns coach Allan Bunting said the tour was something for players to aspire to.
“Even for the northern hemisphere, people are saying [the team] is going to be all England,” he said. “But for those other nations, to aspire to make that team, it’s going to grow rugby up there. That makes it harder for us, so we’ve got to grow here.”
Retaining the top talent, against everimproving contracts from rival codes such as rugby league and its developing NRLW competition, could also be easier for NZ Rugby with the lure of a Lions tour, staged two years after England hosts the next World Cup.
“We are a bit worried about where our players might be going at the moment, but this gives us a bit of purpose,” Bunting said.
Host cities and the other opponents for the Lions have not been determined yet, but the side could play tour matches against the Super Rugby Aupiki teams or provincial sides.