Restoring The Lions Pride
NZ Rugby World|Lions Souvenir Issue, May 2017

Lions pride as much as New Zealanders love hosting the lions, the cold, hard truth is that respect for the combined team is in short supply. To win it back, the lions need to prove they are a force worth taking seriously. 

Gregor Paul
Restoring The Lions Pride

The Lions, in terms of commercial value, sit alongside the All Blacks. They can sell replica shirts. They can attract sponsors with minimal asking and they have tens of thousands of fans willing to follow them all over the world.

The Lions are big business – much loved and much respected. But the perception of them in New Zealand is maybe a little different.

It’s not that the Kiwis don’t love hosting the Lions. This is a nation with a respect for history and tradition, and everyone in New Zealand understands the Lions have a deep footprint in the former and are one of the last great, living relics of the past.

No one in New Zealand is questioning why the Lions exist or why they have so many fierce defenders of their cause. Most New Zealanders feel the same way – they want this team to survive. They want rugby to have a point of difference.

But what New Zealanders also wish is that the Lions were just that bit more credible on the park. The statistics produced by the Lions make cold, sobering reading.

They have had one great mission to New Zealand. That was in 1971 when they played all the rugby. On that tour, they were light years ahead of the All Blacks.

They had all the good ideas. They had all the best players and they embraced a style of football that opened New Zealanders’ eyes to how rugby could be played.

But brilliant though the Lions were on that tour, 1971 stands as an aberration. The rest of the Lions’ squads that have come to New Zealand did little to fire the imagination.

Great tourists for sure – great ambassadors for their respective countries, for the combined entity and for rugby in general – but not great teams.

Esta historia es de la edición Lions Souvenir Issue, May 2017 de NZ Rugby World.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición Lions Souvenir Issue, May 2017 de NZ Rugby World.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE NZ RUGBY WORLDVer todo
The 20 Most Memorable Rugby Acts Of 2020
NZ Rugby World

The 20 Most Memorable Rugby Acts Of 2020

2020- Most Amazing Rugby Acts

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
RUGBY ROYALTY
NZ Rugby World

RUGBY ROYALTY

FRANS STEYN’S IMPACT AT LAST YEAR’S WORLD CUP ADDED MORE PRESTIGE TO A DECORATED CAREER THAT ISN’T OVER YET. CRAIG LEWIS FROM SA RUGBY MAGAZINE REPORTS.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
NZ Rugby World

WINGING IT FOR LONGER

TYPICALLY POWER WINGS DON'T LAST LONG IN THE ALL BLACKS. BUT CALEB CLARKE AND RIEKO IOANE ARE HOPING TO BUCK THE TREND.

time-read
10 minutos  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
TOUGHEST JOB IN THE WORLD
NZ Rugby World

TOUGHEST JOB IN THE WORLD

NZ RUGBY WORLD EDITOR GREGOR PAUL HAS A NEW BOOK OUT CALLED THE CAPTAIN'S RUN. IN IT HE EXPLORES WHAT IT TAKES TO LEAD THE WORLD'S BEST RUGBY TEAM, HOW THE JOB HAS CHANGED AND HOW THE VARIOUS LEADERS HAVE DEALT WITH PRESSURE, FAILURE AND SUCCESS.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
NZ Rugby World

WOW FACTOR

SCOTT ROBERTSON IS UNORTHODOX BUT HE'S ALSO BRILLIANT AND WANTS A JOB WITH THE BRITISH & IRISH LIONS.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
RUGBY REBORN
NZ Rugby World

RUGBY REBORN

COVID BROUGHT ECONOMIC CARNAGE IN 2020 BUT RATHER THAN BEING SEEN AS A WRECKER OF FORTUNES, THE PANDEMIC WAS ACTUALLY A GIANT BLESSING.

time-read
10 minutos  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
NZ Rugby World

BATTLE FOR THE BLEDISLOE

THE UNPRECEDENTED CONDITIONS OF 2020 SAW THE INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR HASTILY REDRAWN AND IN A UNIQUE TWIST FOR THE PROFESSIONAL AGE, THE ALL BLACKS PLAYED FOUR CONSECUTIVE TESTS AGAINST AUSTRALIA.

time-read
7 minutos  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
PACIFIC POWER HOUSE
NZ Rugby World

PACIFIC POWER HOUSE

FIJI HAVE NEVER QUITE BEEN ABLE TO FULFIL THEIR ENORMOUS POTENTIAL. BUT THEY MIGHT NOW FOLLOWING THE APPOINTMENT OF VERN COTTER AS HEAD COACH.

time-read
9 minutos  |
Issue 207, October - November 2020
THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION
NZ Rugby World

THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION

ON AND OFF THE FIELD, SPRINGBOKS WING CHESLIN KOLBE CONTINUES TO MAKE AN INSPIRATIONAL IMPACT.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 207, October - November 2020
DEFENCE FORCE ONE
NZ Rugby World

DEFENCE FORCE ONE

THE BLUES WERE A RADICALLY DIFFERENT TEAM IN 2020 AND MUCH OF THAT WAS DUE TO THEIR VASTLY IMPROVED WORK ON DEFENCE.

time-read
9 minutos  |
Issue 207, October - November 2020