Next year’s British and Irish Lions tour party have been warned to behave themselves and be good ambassadors at all times when they travel to New Zealand. The Lions manager, John Spencer, is determined to ensure his squad make a positive impression on and off the pitch and has ruled out the use of underhand tactics to gain a competitive advantage.
With an investigation still ongoing following the discovery of a bugging device in the All Blacks’ team hotel in Sydney last month, the Lions are aware of the need to be on their guard as preparations begin in earnest for their three-Test series. Spying on the All Blacks, however, will extend only as far as Warren Gatland sitting in the stands for Saturday’s Test against Argentina rather than planting recording devices in their team-room.
“We’re above that but I think Warren would agree the All Blacks have taken rugby to a different level and we have to move with that,” said Spencer, a member of the victorious Lions squad in New Zealand in 1971. “I’m not saying that putting bugs in their changing room is the right answer but it just shows just how far people will go to get an advantage.”
Given some of the high-profile off-field incidents involving England players at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, Spencer, who is a lawyer, also believes the day-to-day conduct of the 2017 Lions needs to be exemplary. “Discipline is one of our core values and I will be very strong on that,” he said. “When we won the last Test in Australia in 2013 I remember Warren saying he wanted a team meeting at 12 o’clock the next day. He said to them: ‘The only thing I have to say is do not let me read about you for all the wrong reasons over the next seven days’. In other words he wanted the same discipline the tour management had wanted throughout that tour. It didn’t stop on the final whistle. Don’t disgrace yourselves; don’t ruin the reputation of the Lions.”
Interestingly, Spencer also says the Lions will seek to impress their hosts with their style of rugby, as opposed simply to setting out to suffocate and frustrate their opponents. “Players have to be extremely positive, I know Warren is very keen on playing an open style of rugby to test the All Blacks,” he said. “That was particularly attractive to New Zealand in 1971 when we changed world back play as a result of that tour. I think we will take sufficient pace and power and skill to play the sort of rugby which will attack the weaknesses of the All Blacks.”
Spencer has also not ruled out adding a high-profile modern-day Lion to the Lions’ management roster, with names such as Paul O’Connell, Martin Johnson and Keith Wood among those mentioned. “The Lions board would encourage the involvement of those sort of players. Martin Johnson and Gregor Townsend are Standard Life ambassadors for this tour and I’ve already spoken to them at length. Everybody is looking for sensible succession. You can see Martin Johnson as a manager in the future, you can probably see Gavin Hastings as a manager in the future.”
Having already spent five weeks in hospital in New Zealand this summer receiving treatment for a serious knee infection, Spencer has also had plenty of time to ponder the lessons of the 2005 Lions tour which ended in a crushing 3-0 defeat. “In 2005 the tour had its difficulties. There was a perception that the Lions had a limited future. That is not so now. Look at the interest. Talking to Richie McCaw he said he has never seen excitement like this for a tour coming to New Zealand.”
Premiership Rugby has confirmed its annual salary cap will not rise above £7 million until 2020-21 at the earliest. The current base level of £6.5 million per club is due to increase by £500,000 ahead of next season but will remain unchanged for the following two seasons. Two ’marquee’ signings will still be permitted outside the cap.
