South Island and Provincial snubbed for Lions tour

There seems to be a wave of discontent coming from Southern rugby fans after the news that there will not be an All Blacks vs British and Irish Lions test in the South Island in 2017.

The decision was announced last Friday which confirmed that two of the three Tests will be held in Auckland with one being hosted in Wellington.

This is a real indication that the game of rugby is ever-changing and has to adapt for financial reasons.

10 years ago was the last time the Lions toured New Zealand and the team was backed by over 10,000 fans that travelled with and without tickets.

Christchurch and Dunedin are the venues which miss out in two years’ time and there is no doubt that the AMI Stadium and the Forsyth Barr Stadium would’ve produced sensational and atmospheric Test matches.

However, the capacity of the AMI is approximatley 18,000 with the Forsyth Barr Stadium holding around 30,000 people.

While the Westpac Stadium in Wellington holds 34,000,  there is sensible reasoning why Eden Park and the Westpac have been given the Tests instead of holding one in Christchurch or Dunedin.

TRU’s Scott Donaldson’s 2005 Tour Experience

I was living in Dunedin in 2005 and the student city went crazy, with not enough accommodation, meaning that fans had to stay in Invercargill or Queenstown and commute for the game and return to their base.

That is rather average for tourism anyway, but Dunedin would hardly be able to cope with the influx of fans with or without tickets, for a test match.  Back then there was so much demand for tickets, that people were scalping them to British tourists making the most of the low kiwi dollar.  It is funny how no one was complaining of scalping back then when it was at the expense of our British rivals.

Don't get me wrong, it would have been great to get a British and Irish Lions test match in Dunedin, but when Auckland can host two tests with approximately twice the capacity of Forsyth Barr Stadium, it makes financial sense.

Provinces Miss Out

Along with the venue debate, the other surprising aspect about the 2017 tour is that the provinces will not be pitting their wits against the British and Irish Lions.

There are positive and negatives to take from this decision.

One of the plus points is that it does allow fans to see Super Rugby teams go up against the Lions, but it seems like the days have gone where the Lions face the semi-professional ITM Cup teams.

It gave the Lions fans a chance to travel across New Zealand to watch all the different matches and in 2017, only Northland will have a shot of upsetting the Lions.

In summary, this highlights a sign of the times. Tours are now shorter and games against smaller and old style provincial teams are now seldom.

TRU’s Scott Donaldson’s Verdict

I am not overjoyed by the fixtures list which sees the South Island and the provinces miss out on many British and Irish Lions games, but it is a sign of the professional era with a shorter tour and more emphasis on the almighty dollar than in the past.  That is why the All Blacks playing in Samoa was such a novelty, when you compare it to them playing in big stadiums in Japan, Hong Kong and the USA.

Should the British and Irish Lions play a test match in the South Island and against more provinces on their tour or is this tour a sign of the times?

2017 British and Irish Lions tour fixtures:

3 June - Provincial union team (Toll Stadium, Whangarei)

7 June - Blues (Eden Park, Auckland)

10 June - Crusaders (AMI Stadium, Christchurch)

13 June - Highlanders (Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin)

17 June - Maori (International Stadium, Rotorua)

20 June - Chiefs (Waikato Stadium, Hamilton)

24 June - New Zealand (First Test, Eden Park, Auckland)

27 June - Hurricanes (Westpac Stadium, Wellington)

1 July - New Zealand (Second Test, Westpac Stadium, Wellington)

8 July - New Zealand (Third Test, Eden Park, Auckland).