SYDNEY: Rugby Australia has officially offered to host this years test series between South Africa and the British and Irish Lions.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported Sunday that Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has invited South African Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux to play the series in Australia in July and August. Rugby Australia has also sent a proposal to the chairman of Englands Rugby Football Union, Andy Cosslet, and World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont.
The newspaper said under McLennans plan South Africa and the Lions would share revenue from the three-test series and Australia would only take enough to cover costs. Australian Super Rugby teams might also play the Lions in matches outside the tests.
The scheduled tour, the first by the Lions since their drawn series against the All Blacks in New Zealand in 2017, currently is in doubt because of an outbreak of a virulent new strain of COVID-19 in South Africa.
The Australian proposal was first reported the the Rugby Paper in Britain and at that stage also included a plan for Australia to play at least one test against the Lions.
McLennan has since confirmed the invitation to the Sydney Morning Herald but would not discuss the possibility of a Lions-Wallabies match.
The Springboks are reportedly also considering plans to play the matches in Britain.
Ultimately its their call, McLennan told the newspaper. What we learnt from the Tri Nations last year and the tennis thats happening now is that Australia can successfully stage global tournaments in a COVID world.
Its particularly tough in the UK and South Africa at the moment and I believe the more international rugby that gets played the better.
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