NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / All Blacks

This will be the last Lions tour to New Zealand: Stephen Jones

NZ Herald
29 Jun, 2017 06:43 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Lions fans during the fourth tour match between The British and Irish Lions and the Highlanders. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Lions fans during the fourth tour match between The British and Irish Lions and the Highlanders. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

British rugby writer Stephen Jones predicts this will be the last British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.

The controversial writer for the Times, who has a knack of rubbing New Zealand rugby fans the wrong way, told Newstalk ZB's Rachel Smalley he doesn't think the Lions will return in 2029.

"This will be the last time that you'll see the Lions," he told Smalley on Early Edition.

"The next tour will be in 12 years' time and I don't think it will happen.

"The Lions have been crushed. They've been beaten by New Zealand on the field as yet - but let's be fair there's still two tests to go.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"But they are smashed to bits by rugby itself because they won't give the Lions any type of preparation. The Lions played a game within 72 hours of arriving here at the end of a savage season at home. That's nonsense," Jones said.

"It's the player welfare aspect that is nonsense. Neither the New Zealand hosts nor the organisers in the UK of all the other competitions will give the Lions any proper preparation time and in this day and age it's just not good enough. So I think this will be the last Lions tour."

The current tour includes 10 games in New Zealand with matches against all five Super Rugby franchises, New Zealand Maori, the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians and three tests against the All Blacks.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

New Zealand Rugby CEO Steve Tew told the Guardian newspaper recently that the contract between the Lions and Sanzaar runs out after this tour to New Zealand and needs to be renegotiated.

Tew said the tour was "unique and worth preserving" and "the commitment from all of us is that the Lions are locked into the calendar".

Listen: Stephen Jones on Early Edition

The Lions are meant to tour South Africa in four years with talk already of a schedule reduction to seven or eight games.

Discover more

All Blacks

ABs brush aside late hit controversy

29 Jun 03:23 AM
All Blacks

How the Lions will change their strategy

29 Jun 05:00 AM
All Blacks

Gatland goes for pace to catch out ABs

29 Jun 06:36 AM
Super Rugby

Marshall: Lions pack need to be more mobile

29 Jun 05:00 PM

Jones told Smalley there was plenty of incentive for New Zealand to host the Lions.

"The revenue is a huge motivating factor for New Zealand. On the last tour, I saw an official report that said they made $99 million for your economy. It also made a massive amount for the New Zealand Rugby Union and without it, I don't think they would continue to survive let alone make a profit or prosper.

"The revenue is all one-way. The rugby unions at home get $1m each while New Zealand Rugby will get 20 times that. It's so inequitable, so ridiculous from so many points of view. The Lions are magnificent - there's probably 25,000 Lions fans down here but there won't be another Lions tour unless New Zealand and the home authorities give them a chance to prepare properly."

Jones isn't too confident of Warren Gatland's side squaring the test series in Wellington tomorrow after losing the first test 30-15 at Eden Park.

Gatland made three changes to his starting side for the second test, putting Ireland's Johnny Sexton at first-first and English number 10 Owen Farrell as second-five eighth.

Jones said he didn't agree with the changes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The Lions' controversial selections have rather put me off," he told Smalley.

"We all thought they'd pick the biggest, nastiest, naughtiest team they could and take it to the New Zealanders and it appears now that they're going to take New Zealand on at their own game. When you do that you're going to lose. At their own game, New Zealand are really, really good."

Jones is often much maligned in New Zealand for his controversial thoughts on the All Blacks. He joked that he's been wearing a disguise since arriving in the country and hasn't been noticed.

"I've been in disguise actually. I've grown a fake beard and going around in a dress so no one knows it's me. And so far it's worked really well."

He said New Zealand's rugby obsession "is ridiculous" and had a pop at the nation's inability to understand irony.

"It's far wider than that actually. What I've done it put up a mirror against the complete lack of a sense of irony that New Zealanders have and their complete failure to note when someone is trying to wind them up. They're almost as good at not getting irony as they are at rugby.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Worse than America. In America now and again they see the joke but New Zealanders don't.

"It's rugby that defines you and I think that's a really bad thing. There's a million other things to life than rugby but in New Zealand the obsession is ridiculous."

Save
    Share this article

Latest from All Blacks

Premium
OpinionLiam Napier

All Blacks review: Best player, biggest concern and where they missed a trick

All Blacks

All Blacks veteran taking Japan sabbatical, re-signs beyond World Cup

Premium
OpinionPaul Lewis

Paul Lewis: French did the All Blacks a real favour but still questions remain


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from All Blacks

Premium
Premium
All Blacks review: Best player, biggest concern and where they missed a trick
Liam Napier
OpinionLiam Napier

All Blacks review: Best player, biggest concern and where they missed a trick

OPINION: There were bright lights for Scott Robertson, but also concerns about depth.

23 Jul 06:00 PM
All Blacks veteran taking Japan sabbatical, re-signs beyond World Cup
All Blacks

All Blacks veteran taking Japan sabbatical, re-signs beyond World Cup

22 Jul 11:00 PM
Premium
Premium
Paul Lewis: French did the All Blacks a real favour but still questions remain
Paul Lewis
OpinionPaul Lewis

Paul Lewis: French did the All Blacks a real favour but still questions remain

22 Jul 01:20 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP