Premiership Rugby CEO Mark McCafferty accuses British and Irish Lions of doing themselves 'a lot of damage'

Row over future Lions tours shows no sign of abating as Premiership Rugby responds to criticism

McCafferty revealed he did not get any contact from Lions officials (Getty)

Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty accused the British and Irish Lions of doing themselves “a lot of damage” due to the high-profile criticism that the English domestic game received during the recent tour of New Zealand, with the row over its future showing no signs of abating.

A step in the right direction looked to have been taken on Wednesday when Pro14 chief executive, Martin Anayi, confirmed that the league – which comprises clubs from Scotland, Wales and Ireland as well as Italy and South Africa – would be willing to alter its season once every four years to give the Lions more preparation time.

But speaking at the Premiership Rugby launch, McCafferty stopped any progress firmly in its tracks by revealing those officials on the Lions board have not tried to contact him or anyone else that would be able to influence talks between the two parties, with World Rugby holding a meeting before this year’s Lions tour in San Francisco to agree the new global calendar that will come into effect from 2020.

“We got a lot of provocation during the course of the Lions tour this year, the next one is not until four years away. We know what was agreed in San Francisco by World Rugby and I don’t see much point in getting drawn into it,” McCafferty said. “What Pro14 wants to do is its call.

“There are a variety of solutions to it but people need to talk as ever. The end of tour press conference was not exactly complimentary about the English Premiership given that we supplied over half the squad. The Lions need to recognise they are doing themselves quite a lot of damage if they don’t engage in a more positive way. But that is for another three years’ time.”

Lions tour manager John Spencer was frustrated with the failure to secure the necessary preparation (Getty)

Lions tour manager John Spencer was critical of both the Premiership and World Rugby for not inviting anyone from their side to the meeting in San Francisco, although two Lions board members were in attendance in Rugby Football Union chief executive Ian Ritchie and his Irish counterpart Phillip Browne.

However, McCafferty added that the feeling on having no communication went two ways, with the Lions failing to get in touch with him and fellow Premiership representative, Bath owner Bruce Craig, and he questioned whether they realise that they have the backing of the majority of the rugby world, given how successful this summer’s tour was and the support that was thrown behind it.

“I have heard nothing from them,” added McCafferty. “We have not been asked anything – they don’t talk to us. They had two board members in San Francisco – they need to contact us and if they decide to speak to us maybe we have got some things to talk about.

“We defended the role of the Lions in San Francisco. They are absolutely a key part of the rugby make-up. I’m not sure they recognise everyone else [thinks that] as well. The only people who have spoken out about their future is themselves. The Lions is great, it’s a fantastic brand, it’s a brilliant entity, we support it but everything has to have a balance and that’s what the discussions were about.”

Lions tour manager John Spencer was assaulted by a drunk New Zealand fan on Thursday night (Getty)

One solution offered by Pro14 chief Amayi was to reduce the international season by one game, something that McCafferty also hinted at, and given the prospect of the Premiership shifting forwards by a week once every four years to give the Lions the week extra preparation that they have been so vocal in calling for is a slim one at best, McCafferty is not keen on messing with the tried-and-tested Premiership play-offs.

“Do you want to mess with a very successful competition format after the semi-finals and finals we’ve just had?” he said. “And then justify that to our fans, partners and media partners.

“One of the other options may be for some of the unions involved to cancel one of their internationals that year. Those are the questions is there is a debate to be had.”

The situation is not one that will go away, especially with this year’s head coach Warren Gatland labelling the Lions role “untenable” if the tour is reduced from 10 games in six weeks to eight matches in five weeks, but with more than two years until the global calendar kicks in and another year on top before the Lions head to South Africa, it is one that will inevitably rumble on.