Lions cannot rest on their laurels in a changing world

A successful series shows why the commercial four-nations juggernaut is here to stay, but new threats are provoking tough questions, writes Harry Latham-Coyle in Sydney

- Harry Latham-Coyle

The great exodus of British and Irish Lions fans has begun, the pilgrims in their red cloaks making passage back to their home isles after the adventure of a lifetime.

It is estimated that more than double the number of travelling fans came to Australia to soak up this series than in previous trips, a figure inflated by the Covid-wrecked affair in South Africa that saw plenty delay a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Their presence has helped make the 2025 edition the most profitable tour in history “by a significant margin”. Certainly, in Brisbane, Melbourne and now Sydney, it has been impossible to miss the massed red bodies - one suspects the hostelries and hotels of Australia will have been glad of their presence.

But look closer among them and one would have found plenty of rugby high-rollers and influential players, too. As with any major event in the sport, these have been crucial weeks of discussion, bread-breaking and plotting, with a number of executives taking the chance to visit Australia to catch up and set out plans for the future. World Rugby has been hard at work finalising the details of the new Nations Cup, due to launch next year, with confirmation expected soon on the exact structure of the competition. A return down under for the World Cup in 2027 is also on the horizon - ticket packages will soon be on sale for a tournament that it is hoped will help revive rugby union in the nation.