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Lions tour 'so important' for Australia

Lions tour 'so important' for Australia

Yahoo16-07-2025
Former Australia hooker Stephen Moore says the Lions tour is an opportunity to create another "golden period" for the Wallabies.
The hosts are ranked eighth in the world but welcome the Lions to Australia with a home World Cup just two years away.
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Australia beat the Lions in 2001, which set them on course to reach the final of the 2003 World Cup in Sydney, where they were beaten by England.
"The Lions tour is a key moment in the rugby calendar for Australia," Moore told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"If we do well in this series, it helps in growing participation, fan engagement, sponsorship and TV numbers. All these metrics go up if we do well and that is why this is so important for us.
"Australia are not where they would like to be, that is pretty obvious and Australian rugby has been under pressure over recent years.
"We are used to success in every sport in Australia and we are very lucky in our history to have some wonderful sportsman and rugby is a good example of that.
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"If you look at the Lions tour in 2001 it kicked-off a great period for rugby in Australia leading into the World Cup. I know we lost the final but those few years were a real golden period for rugby in Australia and the current payers have the opportunity to replicate that.
"With the Lions series going into a home World Cup, they won't get that again in their lifetime so it's so important."
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