Conor McKeown

i didn't have time and i was like i don't know the lions are looking at france is that a real thing or is this just some kind of kite it certainly seems to be like this they've looked into it and they're getting economic kind of connor's reports and seeing what it would be worth to them as well as what it would be worth to 800 whether it's viable basically there's no agreement beyond 2029 in fact there's no agreement for the 29th or to new zealand okay as it stands although that will get done yeah

I'd say it's partly a bargaining chip.

I'm saying they're talking to France to try and get more of a share out of the three Southern Hemisphere teams they normally go to to get a better deal.

But they've looked at France.

I think that game in the Viva last year.

open their eyes to what they can do in Europe and how big a brand they are like that was an unbelievable event and it was it was kind of like those big events that you bring people in for they had a line shop at the top of Grafton Street they had queues the whole way up like France a tour de France is

could be amazing if the French bought into it and the Lions went and played La Rochelle, Toulouse, Bordeaux, and they gave decent teams and then played three tests against France.

At the same time, these players play against these players all the time, so it loses a bit of it, but you'd have people able to go on the ferry to it.

You'd have huge traveling, like you already have traveling fans, but it would be far more accessible.

So I think it would be appealing in that way, but I'm not sure if it has the same mystique.

I guess France are as good as New Zealand, South Africa, maybe not South Africa right now, but they're one of the top four teams

It was last year.

yeah yeah and and it had something when you were there and it was like a massive amount of people save up and it's it's a big event like it's kind of part of that rider cup i get it um it's on the the list of kind of big bucket list sporting events that people will spend a lot of money to go and see i i think like touring like rugby is still in a very nebulous place like the the autumn internationals are being replaced this year by a nation's championship

They will play for a trophy against all the teams that you're talking about.

The more they play against each other, the idea is the more you beat them, the less mystique you have around the All Blacks, the Springboks.

I listened to a very interesting podcast recently with Graeme Henry and a former, Brad Impey is his name, a former board member of New Zealand Rugby Association.

They're very worried about where New Zealand are going to be in 10 years.

So is New Zealand going to be as big a carrot?

Obviously, there's the adventure part of it going.

This year, New Zealand and South Africa are playing a four-test season.