THE LIONS MUST WIN THE SERIES. THE MARGIN IS IRRELEVANT. THEY'VE WON FAR TOO FEW

What is success for the Lions? Stephen Jones expounds on objectives, the threat of devalued fixtures and why it's high time the tourists jazzed up their schedule

- STEPHEN JONES

THE BOOKMAKERS are in no doubt. They appear to be so confident about the Lions in Australia that they started by offering odds-on for a 3-0 win in the Test series. That was a remarkable opening gambit - fuelled, of course, by the actual money they'd received from punters - and the odds have only moderated a little as the tour approaches.

Can they be successful out there? And what precisely is success on a Lions tour? Even allowing for the fact that we often bet with our heart rather than with our head and wallet, that is astonishing. You only need a tiny grasp of the Lions history, which extends into three different centuries, to understand how unsuccessful they have been. Even after our brave lads stopped the rot with glorious triumphs in 1971 and 1974, they have never really turned the overall tide.

It is also true that, bar one exception, the Lions since 1974 have only won when the series was in Australia, and there is no doubt that for many reasons it is the easiest of the three locations. But a clean sweep? That seems optimistic.

And with the greatest respect, it seemed even more optimistic when the Lions squad came out > because while we must be prepared for some of the party to burst out into world class, there is at the moment a dearth of Lions who appear to be on the verge of the pantheon.

The party looks serviceable but if it really is true that Ireland, and especially the Irish forwards, have gone over the top and are less efficient than they were, then the Lions could well be in a serious fight to take the series at all.

Some indicators. First, so much hope has been centred around the effectiveness of Sione Tuipulotu in the midfield.

Yet he didn’t even play in the Six Nations, will be struggling for true match fitness and form, and the tour gives him very little chance to discover himself. Good luck to a decent man.