Lions stars to share in tour profits for first time

Alun Wyn Jones led the most recent British and Irish Lions tour when they visited South Africa in 2021

Players selected for the British and Irish Lions' tour of Australia next summer will share in the profits generated by the event.

Lions players have traditionally been paid a tour fee with bonuses dependent on their success in the Test series.

But the new profit-sharing agreement will replace the fee for the 2025 tour which begins in June with a warm-up match against Argentina in Dublin.

Despite Covid restrictions that meant Test matches had to be played behind closed doors, the Lions reportedly made an £8.2m profit in the year of their tour to South Africa in 2021.

That tour was also backed by a record 25 commercial deals.

Jamie George, Peter O'Mahony, Finn Russell and Jac Morgan, the captains of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales respectively, were involved in discussions that have brought about the new deal.

"This agreement recognises the role players play across the Lions tour, both on and off the field," said O'Mahony.

"It's great to see a commitment to ensuring everyone benefits from the success of each tour."

The agreement between the Lions management and players will also include a debrief session in the wake of the tour.

The Lions' arrival is part of a 'golden decade' for rugby union in Australia, which is also staging the men's and women's Rugby World Cups in 2027 and 2029

Former Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton recently claimed the Lions could have won, rather than drawn, the decisive final Test against New Zealand in 2017 with a more rigorous week of preparation.

Disputes between players and management are nothing new.

England scrum-half Matt Dawson criticised the coaching set-up in a newspaper column during the 2001 trip to Australia while the over-sized touring party to New Zealand four years later was seen as a mistake by many of the players.