New Zealand Rugby CEO Steve Tew said that the "south's ability to profit" from British & Irish Lions tours is "an important part of the international game's revenue distribution," according to Marc Hinton of STUFF. The All Blacks "may not have achieved the result they wanted," but the same cannot be said for NZR "at the end of a record revenue-generating Lions tour that could produce in excess of" a NZ$30M ($21.8M) profit for the host. Tew said that NZR would not know the "financial windfall" from the tour for a while yet, but "everything was projecting towards the 10-match visit meeting budgeted expectations." Tew would not reveal what those budgeted figures were but a NZ$30M-plus windfall "would have to be expected." More than 20,000 Lions fans "poured in New Zealand during the tour." Tew: "There were no red flags, that's for sure. It's got to be remembered we factor the Lions tour once every 12 years into our view of the world rugby money flow. It will be a big income spike this year, but it needs to be spread out over a number of years of expenses." At present, the host nation "banks the lion's share of profits generated by the tour out of ticket prices, hospitality packages and the like, though those terms could change." The current agreement is "now up and there will be a re-negotiation between the three southern hemisphere nations and Lions organisation to cover at least the next three tours." Tew "did not anticipate a major change in how profits were distributed." He added that media reports suggesting this would be the last Lions tour "were wide of the mark." Tew: "Most of that talk came from, last time I looked, people who aren't actually running the international game" (STUFF, 7/10).
WIN-WIN: In Belfast, Kelli Slattery reported the Lions' sponsors, which "pay handsomely for the privilege of being associated with the team, really only have a six-month window every four years in which to activate their campaigns." The total cost to send the British & Irish Lions on tour is approximately £14M ($18M), so the Lions commercial team "must work hard to generate" the estimated €45M ($58M) in revenue. Both "players and home nations benefit." Each of the home nations receives £70,000 ($90,200) per player who travels. Each player who finishes the tour will receive £70,000, plus a bonus of £10,000 ($12,885) "should they win." This is a 40% rise on what players who competed in Australia in '13 received. The '13 tour in Australia was reportedly worth in excess of £40M to the Australian Rugby Union, which "assisted in wiping out" its reported debt at the time of £12.2M. When the Lions last toured New Zealand in '05, the value was an estimated NZ$21.5M to the host union. The '17 tour is expected to generate "far in excess" of that, which will "easily clear" NZR's current debt of NZ$7.5M ($5.5M) (IRISH INDEPENDENT, 7/9).
WOMEN'S TEAM: In Cardiff, Anthony Woolford reported Welsh Rugby Union CEO Martyn Phillips has "thrown his weight behind" a women's British & Irish Lions tour. Phillips said, "Women's rugby is growing so quickly globally and definitely in Wales. For me it would be a 'when' rather than an 'if.' ... I think a couple of my colleagues elsewhere in the Lions have said, 'It's not something they'd ever rule out'" (WALES ONLINE, 7/10).
BLOCKING PLAYERS: The PA reported England "ruled out the possibility of releasing players" for the British invitational rugby side Barbarians' fixture against New Zealand on Nov. 4. It was suggested that the match at Twickenham "could be elevated to the status of an unofficial fourth Test" to the British & Irish Lions tour, which concluded on Saturday with the series against the All Blacks drawn 1-1 (PA, 7/10).
OPEN DOOR: In London, Nik Simon reported Warren Gatland has "left the door open" to coaching the British & Irish Lions for a third consecutive tour in '21. The Kiwi fronted campaigns in Australia and New Zealand and "could now complete the set with a series in South Africa." Gatland, who now returns to coaching Wales, said, "If that opportunity came again, it would be something you would consider" (DAILY MAIL, 7/9).
