British & Irish Lions To Share $3.3M For Series Win In Tour Of New Zealand

The British & Irish Lions squad "will share a record jackpot" of more than £2.6M ($3.3M) if Warren Gatland’s side records a first series victory over New Zealand since '71, according to Gavin Mairs of the London TELEGRAPH. Of that figure, each player will receive a bonus of £10,000 ($12,515) "if the Lions win two of the three Tests," on top of a tour fee of £70,000 ($87,605) for every player who remains in the squad for the full tour. It is understood that details of the agreed tour payments, including the tour win bonus, "were included in commercial contracts that were sent out to over 150 players last week ahead of the squad announcement next Wednesday." While the tour fee represents a 40% rise from the £50,000 the players received during the '13 tour of Australia, the win bonus "remains roughly in line with what Sam Warburton’s side received for defeating the Wallabies 2-1 in the Test series" (TELEGRAPH, 4/13).