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Daily Maverick
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
2025 British & Irish Lions jet off to Australia in vastly different atmosphere
The 2025 Lions tour starts on Friday evening with a match against Argentina in Dublin. Very different circumstances to the tour's start four years ago during Covid. The official expedition through Australia kicks-off in Perth on 28 June against the Western Force. As the British & Irish Lions prepare to leave for Perth this weekend for the 2025 tour to Australia, the mood is much lighter and more jovial than four years ago. That's because the world is a vastly different place from when the British & Irish Lions' 2021 tour to South Africa (SA) remained in the balance until the last moment. The Covid pandemic meant the tour's feasibility and ability to go ahead was a constant roving target. The pandemic brought the 2021 tour close to collapse on several occasions. The original operational and commercial plans, which in themselves were complex documents to agree on, had to be rewritten. And then rewritten again and again. There was talk of playing the matches between the world champions, Springboks, and the Lions, outside of the Republic. Australia offered to host, but that was turned down for several reasons, including the unpalatable time zone for broadcasting. Dubai was briefly discussed as an alternative because fans might be allowed, but that option quickly withered on the vine. The most plausible scenario was moving the entire caravan to Britain with the Springboks playing tourists. That option, which was acceptable to both the Lions organisation and SA Rugby (Saru), hit snags because South Africa was placed on Britain's 'red list' of countries with Covid surges. In the end, the decision to continue as scheduled in SA was made when there was only about a month to go, because broadcasters and sponsors needed clarity; and a host of other logistics providers such as hotels, security, medical services and transport needed to be finalised. It went ahead and into the record books, but the overriding theme of 2021 was the empty Cape Town Stadium as the backdrop to what were three gripping Tests, despite the eerie surroundings. More positive 2025 tour The 2025 Lions tour starts on Friday evening with a match against Argentina in Dublin, although the official expedition through Australia kicks off in Perth on 28 June against the Western Force. Friday's clash against the Pumas doesn't carry Test status — it should — but will be a vital pilot study for coach Andy Farrell and his 38-man squad. There is also the question of money. The Argentina game will raise £2.55-million (R61-million), of which R21-million will go to the Pumas squad, which is a handy little bonus. But for Farrell, the most important factor is allowing some game time for combinations after a brief training camp in Portugal so that the Lions don't arrive in Australia completely underdone. That in itself makes a change from four years ago when the initial concerns were not so much over match-readiness but rather whether there would be matches at all. In 2025, concern lies with whether Australian Rugby is up to the standard required to compete with the Lions. There is some compelling evidence to suggest that Rugby (Union, not League) in Australia is suffering. The Wallabies are ranked eighth in the world, while Australia doesn't have a club that looks close to winning Super Ruby. Almost two years ago the Wallabies failed to make the knockout stages of Rugby World Cup 2023, losing 40-6 to Wales, who have subsequently lost 16 Tests in a row. The Brumbies made the 2025 Super Rugby semi-final but that hardly constitutes a tale of success for Australian rugby. And to further compound matters Rugby Australia (RA) announced a AUS$36.8-million (R430-million) deficit for the 2024 financial year. Obviously, the Lions tour will bring in huge revenue to help offset those losses but the state of the sport in the country remains precarious. This tour is explicitly 'expected to yield a record financial surplus', according to RA chief executive Phil Waugh. Beyond 2025, Australian rugby is set to enter a new and significantly enhanced five-year broadcast cycle from 2026. The agreement with Nine Entertainment is projected to be valued at approximately A$240-million (R2.8-billion), representing a substantial 40% uplift from the current contract. War of words On the field, former Ireland coach and now Wallabies mentor Joe Schmidt, a New Zealander, threw some jibes at the Lions. Schmidt is well known for his mind games and he immediately set the tone at the announcement of his first squad earlier this week, lobbing a jibe at the Lions' southern hemisphere players. The tourists will have a cosmopolitan flavour, with two former Junior Springboks in the party to Australia, as well as two players born in Australia, and three in New Zealand. Schmidt focused his barbs on Ireland's New Zealand-born centre Bundee Aki and Scotland's Australian-born midfielder Sione Tuipulotu. He described the pair as a 'southern hemisphere centre partnership that will be pretty formidable'. Former Junior Springboks Pierre Schoeman (prop) and Duhan van der Merwe (wing), who both play for Scotland, have also been included in the 38-man squad. There are further Southern Hemisphere connections in the squad with the selection of the New Zealand-born Ireland duo of Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe, in addition to Aki. Australian-born wing Mack Hansen, who plays for Ireland, was also included. Tuipulotu represented Australia U20s between 2015-17, but his maternal grandmother is Scottish. Hansen represented Australia U20s in 2018, but qualified for Ireland through his Cork-born mother. The Lions shot back about the questioning of the Lions players' heritage through assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth. 'I don't know if they (Australians) are questioning their (non-British born players') commitment because you would argue their journey and how committed they have been to their country, whether that be Scotland or Ireland, England or Wales, everyone has earned the right to pull on the Lions jersey,' Wigglesworth said. 'They are, to a man, incredibly proud to be here. It is not your background or how you have got here, it is what sort of player are you and what sort of man are you? And we have got great men and great players.' Van der Merwe brushed it off when asked about his heritage and credentials as a Lion, in an interview with The Guardian. He took some social media abuse when he was part of the 2021 tour, but he has learned to cope. 'I always knew they were going to get stuck into me,' he told the Guardian. 'There were a lot of personal messages on social media towards me. I just dust it off because I know how hard I've worked to get to where I am. 'You always have people on social media who are going to bring you down and slate you, but I've got to a point in my career where it doesn't faze me at all.' DM Schedule Friday 20 June British & Irish Lions v Argentina Aviva Stadium, Dublin Saturday 28 June Western Force v British & Irish Lions Optus Stadium, Perth Wednesday 2 July Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Saturday 5 July NSW Waratahs v British & Irish Lions Allianz Stadium, Sydney Wednesday 9 July ACT Brumbies v British & Irish Lions Gio Stadium, Canberra Saturday 12 July Invitational Australia and New Zealand XV v British & Irish Lions Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Saturday 19 July First Test: Australia v British & Irish Lions Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Tuesday 22 July First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Saturday 26 July Second Test: Australia v British & Irish Lions MCG, Melbourne Saturday 2 August
Daily Maverick
18-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Nelson Mandela Bay metro asks council to urgently approve millions for security firm looking after substations
If the company is not paid, the substations are at risk of being left unguarded and, therefore, vulnerable to vandalism, which could cause costly power outages Nelson Mandela Bay's acting city manager, Ted Pillay, has asked for an urgent decision by council to approve the reallocation of more than R20-million from the current year's budget to pay the security firm guarding some of the city's major substations. According to council documents, the urgent payment will avoid the security firm's withdrawal, and leaving the city's substations vulnerable to theft and vandalism. In a metro where cable theft is rife, Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) now owes its security service provider R21-million, according to a report before council. A payment of R7-million was made last week to avoid the substations being abandoned by guards. The matter is expected to be heard on Wednesday, 18 June, after it was deferred because not all councillors had seen the documents. Adopt-a-substation Wayne Hart, from Atlas Security, said that while his organisation is not the security provider owed millions by the municipality, Atlas does guard crucial substations in several parts of the city as part of the Business Chamber's Adopt-a-Substation programme. As part of this programme, businesses fund private security to protect substations against attacks. Highlighting the importance of security at these substations, Hart said the company protects the large substation at Struandale. Part of its plan involves stationing guards and security vehicles there 24/7. 'This initiative was launched two years ago, and to date we haven't had one single incident. Before our involvement that substation was a target and would often knock half of the industrial areas out,' he said. He added that his company also monitors alarms at other substations and responds accordingly. Other security measures employed under the Adopt-a-Substation initiative include perimeter fencing and the installation of hi-tech security cameras monitored around the clock. Letter to the Presidency In a letter written to the Presidency, several government departments and Eskom in late 2024, the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, Denise van Huyssteen, requested that the government declare the two substations at Chatty in NMB as national key points. She also asked that the government consider sending in the army to protect the infrastructure. In her letter Van Huyssteen highlighted that in 2023 there had been several incidents of cable theft at the municipal substation, and the fence and alarms were tampered with to gain access. It is estimated that damage to the crucial Chatty substations could lead to power outages of several weeks in NMB. In the past 12 months, there have been several reported instances of vandalism at substations in the metro leaving residents without power. Major risk In its 2025 integrated development report, vandalism is highlighted as one of the major risks facing the city. The report also states that the metro's electricity department will have to be subsidised by municipal rates to remain viable. Opposition parties have repeatedly argued in council that the electricity department would bankrupt the city if a successful turnaround plan was not implemented. 'We have not seen a turnaround plan yet,' said Werner Senekal, a Democratic Alliance member in the council . In its application to the National Energy Regulator for tariff increases, the metro said vandalism and cable theft are two of the factors hampering an efficient electricity service in NMB. DM
IOL News
11-06-2025
- General
- IOL News
Mobeni Heights and oThongathi crematoria to be restored
eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba visited the Mobeni Heights Crematorium, which has been out of order Image: Supplied The eThekwini Municipality will be spending R21-million to repair and replace furnaces at the Mobeni and oThongathi Crematoria. During a site visit of the Mobeni Heights Crematorium on Tuesday, eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba assured the community affected by the closure of the Mobeni Heights Crematorium that the municipality would accelerate the process of restoring the facility. To remedy the situation, the municipality is procuring two furnaces which will be installed by the end of August. Xaba has vowed to monitor the repairs closely to ensure that the facility is back to its full operations. 'The municipality has allocated R14 million to repair the furnaces and to give the entire facility a facelift,' he said. Xaba added the process of repairing the oThongathi Crematorium was at an advanced stage as the municipality reprioritised R7 million for the replacement of furnaces. 'We anticipate completing the work at the oThongathi Crematorium by the end of next month,' said Xaba. Both crematoria have been plagued with challenges due to aging infrastructure, resulting in constant closure of the facilities. The Mobeni Heights Crematorium was closed due to the furnaces malfunctioned as they were prone to overheating, resulting in high emissions. This posed environmental health risks to the surrounding community. The decision to act comes on the heels of persistent appeals from community members and local funeral practitioners who have expressed frustration over years of inadequate service. Clive Moodley, president of the Progressive Funeral Practitioners Association of South Africa, said they approached the mayor's office last week after having fruitless meetings over a number of years with other councillors and officials. "Mobeni Heights has not been operational for a year. Prior to that in the last 20 years there has been ongoing problems. One furnace will work and the other won't or both will stop working. Then there was the issue of gas. "After engaging with councillors and local government officials and getting nowhere we went direct to the mayor. And he came out for the site visit," said Moodley. Moodley said they now hope that something will be done soon and there will be progress. "Apart from it being costly for families to have funerals at private crematoriums, it is also more travel distances and different rules and regulations at some of these facilities," he said. SUNDAY TRIBUNE
