Saracens chief Nigel Wray calls for Lions to face All Blacks in home series

Game on: Owen Farrell could line up for the Barbarians against the All Blacks
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Chris Jones10 July 2017

The Lions should consider playing a home series against New Zealand, Saracens owner Nigel Wray said today.

A titanic three-Test series ended on Saturday all-square as the Lions drew 15-15 with the All Blacks at Eden Park.

Throughout the tour there has been debate over the viability of the Lions with English clubs seeking to reduce the number of matches from 10 to eight to avoid an overlap with the climax of the domestic season.

Wray insists England’s top clubs want the Lions to continue and is calling on the squad’s bosses to sit down with all parties to ensure the tourists are best prepared for the Tests with South Africa in 2021.

However, he believes a series against the All Blacks in the UK and Ireland would maximise the money‑making potential of the sport’s two most lucrative brands.

The Saracens chairman told Standard Sport: “The question I ask is why don’t the All Blacks play the Lions over here in major stadia like Wembley, Twickenham, Cardiff, Dublin and Murrayfield? You could have warm-up games with the top teams from each of the home unions: Munster, Saracens, Ospreys and Glasgow.

“Let’s not pussyfoot around, we are talking about two big commercial organisations. When people say it is not about the money they actually mean it is about the money.

“Saracens provided seven players and we cannot be accused of not supporting the Lions. However, we can’t go on as we are and we need to sit down and organise a new deal. In any other industry if you are using someone else’s players then you do a deal because it is a fantastic brand.

In Pictures | All Blacks vs Lions, Third Test | 08/07/2017

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“It needs to be well run and probably isn’t at the moment. We probably get £60,000 for each player who went with the Lions but the agents for those guys will be coming to me and pointing out their market value has gone up and will want better deals.”

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