Lions chief says tours will always be pinnacle despite rebel league threat
Those attempting to start a new franchise competition, including England 2003 World Cup winner Mike Tindall, want to establish eight men's and four women's teams. They claim to have signed up swathes of the world's best players, and have funding from billionaire backers.
Their intention is to start a Formula 1-style circuit of matches across the world in cities such as London, Tokyo, Miami, Boston and Dubai. The new league intends to pay the world's top 40 rugby union players more than £1million a season, which will last just 14 weeks.
They plan to avoid international rugby, so that their stars can play in Tests, although it remains to be seen whether national unions would sanction their players playing R360 matches. At present, England, Ireland and New Zealand have strict rules which dictate that players must play domestic rugby at home in order to be eligible for Test selection.
However, while the provisional R360 calendar has left gaps for Test matches and World Cups, there seem to be no provisions for a men's Lions tour every four years. Ben Calveley, the Lions chief executive, has insisted that no one from R360 has contacted him or his organisation about their project.
It is understood that several 2025 squad members have signed provisional deals to join the rebel circus if it starts with a soft launch this year, and a full tournament in 2026.
Calvely insisted that British and Irish players will always want to play for the Lions, and would turn down R360 contracts to do so.
'No, we haven't had any formal discussions at all with R360 so I can't comment in any detail on their proposition and their proposal,' Calvely said. 'It's up to them who they want to make contact with. I don't really want to comment on how they manage their own business.
'What I can say, and you have seen these quotes come from players at every stage throughout the tour, is that they remain absolutely committed to the Lions. We talk about the Lions being the absolute pinnacle and I think it is for the players. Their reaction when they were selected, you could just see the emotion on their face, you could see what it meant to them.'
Earlier on the tour, Lions captain Maro Itoje was asked about R360 and said: 'I don't know too much about that league but obviously players want to play for the Lions and that's not going to change for generations to come.
'It was the same in the 1950s and it will be the same in 2050. People want to play for their country. People want to play for the Lions. I am sure that will remain.'
Calveley responded to that by adding: 'Hearing comments from the likes of Maro I think just firmed that up in people's minds that for these players to get on a Lions tour is the ultimate for them. This is very encouraging.
'We all know that we have our place in the calendar baked into regulation 9 and I wouldn't see that changing in the future. We have the support of our four shareholder unions. We have a partnership now with PRL and URC and with the clubs from those leagues. The same is true with the player associations and the players themselves. Our relationship with the professional game is better than it has ever been and I would see that continuing in the future.
'For me, what is encouraging is that our players remain committed to the Lions. I think we have seen on this tour just what it means, not just to them but to the fans and the whole of the game. We are very confident that our position in the future is secure.'
Calveley is supportive of Andy Farrell returning as Lions coach in 2029, on the tour to New Zealand. Farrell himself said he loves the Lions concept, and is keen on a return to the job. The Lions bosses endorsed him for another trip in four years' time.
'Andy's done an incredible job and I have really enjoyed working with him,' Calveley added. 'Since he started full time back in December, he has brought a real focus to the operation which has ultimately resulted in success on the field of play. We will now give him a bit of time off. He can go back to Dublin and decompress a little bit and then he can start building for the autumn internationals in Ireland and building towards the World Cup in 2027.
'When it comes to our appointments for future tours, we will start the process in about two years and I don't think it would be right to comment on where it ends up, let's see. But certainly he has put himself in a very strong position hasn't he, let's put it that way.'
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