Lions must now engage with the Premiership

The idea that the best players from the Home Unions get together every four years and travel to the southern hemisphere is a hugely romantic one, with decades of history behind it. Away from home and family for weeks on end, it’s only natural that the players bond, and friendships made on tour last a lifetime. However, nowadays those players are full-time professionals, who have chosen to sign contracts with clubs, or in the Celtic nations it might be Unions, that commit them to playing when their employers need them.

- COLIN BOAG

As a concept the Lions were suited to the amateur days when club rugby was followed by a good night out and more than a few beers, and training was done on a couple of evenings each week, with players employed by benevolent employers who were happy to capitalise on their fame.

Now, however, if a club is paying a player in excess of £350k – more in many cases – for a season that encompasses around 30 games, is it reasonable to expect them to forego that player’s services for around 15 per cent of the campaign?

When you then factor in that the clubs are also releasing their players, as they are required to do, for the Autumn internationals and the Six Nations, how many times will a fan see them play for their club?