The Lions players chosen for the tour of South Africa will receive significantly smaller payments than their counterparts from previous trips, due to Covid.
With matches taking place in front of substantially reduced crowds - if any fans are allowed in at all - income will be way down.
That will have a knock-on effect for the players in terms of the money they will pick up for going on the six-week trip.
Four years ago, each squad member received a record £65,000 for taking part in the tour of New Zealand.
That was up from around £50,000 for the 2013 trip to Australia.
There were also Test match win bonuses available, totalling more than £20,000.
With the second Test in Wellington having been won and the series tied, a sizeable chunk of that cash would have been unlocked, making it a lucrative adventure for the leading players.
But with the Covid-19 pandemic having a big financial impact in terms of ticket sales and safety measures, there will inevitably be a lot less money paid out to the squad.
It’s understood the basic fee for each player will be around £45,000.
With a streamlined squad of 37, that would mean an overall wage bill of about £1.6m, before bonuses.
That compares with more than £3m in 2017 when 41 players were selected.
There will be the same bonus payments on offer for Test match victories as four years ago - around £20,000.
So players could net something in the region of £65,000 if it’s a triumphant trip.
The Lions also pay the players’ clubs for access to them.
That figure is traditionally around £50,000 per player. It’s not clear what the amount will be this time.
But with significant payments having to be made and income slashed, it’s expected the Lions will do well to break even from the eight-match trip.
Hopes for a money-spinning full house at Murrayfield for next month's warm-up match against Japan have been dashed, with ticket holders being contacted to offer them refunds amid the likelihood of only a substantially reduced attendance being allowed.
The latest reports are the authorities in South Africa are looking at very limited crowds for Lions matches, with only local spectators able to attend.
They could yet be played behind closed doors depending on the ongoing situation with the pandemic in the country.
All of which means the money available to pass on to players is much reduced.
Of course, during the amateur era, there were no payments for going on Lions tours.
In 1977, on the three-month trip to New Zealand, the players each received the princely sum of 50p a day for a cup of tea and a sandwich!
Even after the game went pro in the mid-1990s, it was still a case of expenses being handed out.
It was not until this century that pay rose sharply.
