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Wales skipper Jones issues plea to British and Irish Lions tour organisers
By PA
Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones believes that this year’s planned British and Irish Lions tour should go ahead “if it can”. The Lions are due to visit South Africa in July and August, highlighted by a three-Test series against the world champions.
But the coronavirus pandemic has created considerable uncertainty over whether the eight-match trip will take place.
Possible options, meanwhile, under consideration by Lions chiefs are playing the games behind closed doors, delaying the tour until next year or hosting games in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Jones and his fellow skippers – England’s Owen Farrell, Ireland’s Johnny Sexton and Scotland’s Stuart Hogg – have all been involved in talks about tour plans. The 35-year-old Welshman has played in nine Lions Tests across three tours.
He also captained them in a 2013 Test series-clinching victory over Australia when tour skipper Sam Warburton was injured. “It needs to go ahead this year,” said Jones about the Lions tour during Wednesday’s Guinness Six Nations virtual launch.
“The jury is out on where it will happen. We all know the jeopardy that it’s in. All being well, everyone will be safe and looked after if it does go ahead, for those guys selected. It would be a travesty if the fans weren’t able to go and see it. Having been involved in a few, it’s a very special tour and the fans make it that way. From a captain’s point of view, we (Jones, Farrell, Sexton and Hogg) are all in agreement that, if it can, it should go ahead this year.”
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, who toured South Africa as a player with the 1997 Lions, hopes a solution can be found. “You can’t underestimate the value the Lions have to our sport and what it means to our players and our supporters,” Townsend told BBC Sport. "So I just cross my fingers a solution is found and we can all get behind that team, whether it is this year or next year.”
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Latest Comments
I agree.
I’d like to know what constitutes a 208 week ban though?
Must the eyeball be dislodged? Hanging by a vein?
Go to commentsAlso a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.
I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.
I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.
Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.
“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”
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