British & Irish Lions President Jason Leonard shares his thoughts on the upcoming South Africa tour in 2021. Rugby enthusiasts can book British lions 2021 tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.
What
is your best memory of the Lions?
It's a really strange thing to explain. I am a very proud
English. So I know what it meant to me when I put on an England jersey. British
and Irish Lions are different. You are the best of all, from England, Scotland,
Ireland and Wales. It is never an easy start to a Lions tour. You have spent
the last four years kicking each other and you have to put those differences
aside.
I will always remember one of the coaches, Sir Ian
McGeechan, saying that you leave your nationality at the door. It is not
English, Irish or Scottish, it is a British and Irish lion. You don't sit in
small groups. We are all in this together. That really resonated with me.
What
is the biggest challenge for a Lions team?
One of the biggest problems is trying to find enough time to
get decent training and spend time together. You have to involve like-minded
people. If you are adamant, you will most likely not enjoy your Lions tour.
Everything on a Lions tour is about change; there could be
an injury and maybe you should play on a Wednesday and Saturday. You have to
have people who want to do it well, but also do it well for each other. That is
the most important. You may have game winners, but there are also many people
on Lions teams who are selected to work for the team.
A fantastic winger will only get the ball if the group is
working hard. It depends a lot on other people. That's what all rugby teams are
about, but even more so with Lions because you're playing someone you've
probably never caught or passed a ball to.
If you were lucky enough to tour the Lions in the past, it
might have been the only time you did. That is also what makes Lions teams
unique. From memory, no Lions team that went to New Zealand and then South
Africa has been the same. That is why you have to make the most of it. You will
never have that opportunity with the same people.
Explain
your role as president of the British and Irish Lions for the South African
tour.
With that position, there's a lot of work behind the scenes
before we even get on a plane or play a little rugby. It's about making sure we
are in a strong position before we go anywhere.
You have another administrative level below that and then
you have your coaches, staff and back room people, your list goes on. So it's
quite extensive to be a part of that. A successful president ensures that
Warren Gatland, the players, whoever they are, have every opportunity to be the
best they can be.
That may mean taking away their clerical job, public
relations job, or television job so they can go out to train and play. Focus on
being the best you can be. We understand that we have contractual obligations
on this tour, but coming back to the Lions team, you cannot be inflexible. We
want to help people. My role is to help everyone on this tour to be their best.
There
will only be eight games on next year's tour. Does that help or hinder Lions
players?
It's hard trying to fit this into the season every four
years. The last tour was 10 matches, so we have lost two for this next tour.
It's an added challenge on top of the already huge challenge of going to South
Africa and playing in those stadiums with great support.
It would be nice to have more time, but we understand that
it is not always possible. You try to work with people from the UK and Ireland
to make sure we have access and the players have the opportunity to meet.
Sadly, the days when we played, when you were going on tour and being absent
for six months, are now not possible.
It is what it is and we have to move on. Would we have liked
a couple more games? More likely. But that also presents a different challenge.
If this Lions squad were undefeated on this tour, it would still be a great
achievement.
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