All Blacks: Lions ‘should not go to New Zealand in 2029’, UK rugby writer says

All Blacks captain Kieran Read and Lions captain Sam Warburton share the trophy after drawing the 2017 series. Photo / Greg Bowker

Veteran British rugby writer Stephen Jones believes the British and Irish Lions should not tour New Zealand in 2029.

Writing in The Sunday Times following the conclusion of the Lions current tour of Australia, Jones suggested it was time for a change to the historic quadrennial tours.

The Lions are scheduled to tour New Zealand in 2029, but Jones believes the Lions would be better off touring France with maybe a game in Italy.

He believes they could then tour New Zealand in 2033 before touring the Americas in 2037.

The Lions are due in South Africa in 2033 and Australia in 2037.

Jones wrote that Lions tours have “saved” the host unions of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa “from financial disaster” in recent times.

“Why can the Lions not make their own decisions?” he wrote.

Jones described France as “the modern-day capital of the rugby world”.

He suggested that any European Cup competitions could be canned in any Lions year.

Jones believes a tour of the Americas could include Argentina and North America.

The Lions first toured Australia and New Zealand in 1888.

In 12 test series against New Zealand, they have only won once, in 1971, while the 2017 test series was tied.