Inside the British and Irish Lions' million-dollar money machine
It's an expensive and physically demanding task for the British and Irish Lions, a once-in-four-year rugby union team comprising players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
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The Advertiser
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Lions' Gatland gun leaves lasting mark on Bronco Ben
Brisbane assistant coach Ben Te'o credits his stint as a player with the British and Irish Lions under legendary mentor Warren Gatland as life-changing in his new role. Te'o, who also played for Queensland in the State of Origin arena, had a stellar career in two codes as a player before embarking on his coaching dream. It was under Gatland, regarded as one of the greatest rugby coaches of all time, that Te'o toured New Zealand in 2017 in a three-Test series drawn 1-1. He played inside centre in the 30-15 win in the first Test against the All Blacks, and came off the bench in a 15-15 draw in the final Test. Te'o, who also played 18 rugby Tests for England, said Gatland and rugby league mastercoach Wayne Bennett, who he was assistant coach under at the Dolphins, shared a lot in common. "I'd always heard Warren Gatland was a great man manager and great at bringing teams together, and I had the opportunity to experience that and play the All Blacks, such an incredible tour to go on," Te'o told AAP. "At the time everyone feared them, but by the time we had been through our camps in New Zealand there was a real strong belief that we could get the job done. "Once I got into coaching myself, I used a lot of things I learned from Warren, and then once I started working with Wayne I saw the similarities between the two and why they were successful." Gatland taught Te'o plenty about the building blocks of success."One of the things that is really important in coaching is building team chemistry from the get-go, and Warren did a great job of giving the team free time to have a beer and socialise and build team camaraderie first. Wayne does that too," Te'o said."The second thing is being able to convince a team that they are going to win and how they will win. "I remember Warren talking about how we would beat the All Blacks and where we could catch them by surprise, what our strengths were and how the games would play out. When a coach talks like that you leave the room thinking 'we can do this'"We ended up sharing the trophy, but the Lions shocked the All Blacks after no one gave us a chance." Te'o never got to play the Wallabies on a Lions tour, but there are no regrets."To be honest, when you line up the tours against the Wallabies, Springboks or All Blacks I am taking the All Blacks," he said. "They were the best and had the biggest aura around them. They were two years off winning the World Cup for the second time in a row. There was nothing better." This year's State of Origin series has just been won 2-1 by the Maroons, and now the Wallabies take on the Lions in Brisbane on Saturday night, with the build-up at fever pitch. Te'o understands the enormity of the occasion intimately."My career is split in half between rugby league and rugby union. For me to reach those heights in rugby union is special," he said. "When I played State of Origin I thought that was the biggest thing I would ever experience. Once I went on a Lions tour I realised there is something else out there that is similar in terms of how big the build-up is and how much people get behind it. I was lucky to experience those two events." Brisbane assistant coach Ben Te'o credits his stint as a player with the British and Irish Lions under legendary mentor Warren Gatland as life-changing in his new role. Te'o, who also played for Queensland in the State of Origin arena, had a stellar career in two codes as a player before embarking on his coaching dream. It was under Gatland, regarded as one of the greatest rugby coaches of all time, that Te'o toured New Zealand in 2017 in a three-Test series drawn 1-1. He played inside centre in the 30-15 win in the first Test against the All Blacks, and came off the bench in a 15-15 draw in the final Test. Te'o, who also played 18 rugby Tests for England, said Gatland and rugby league mastercoach Wayne Bennett, who he was assistant coach under at the Dolphins, shared a lot in common. "I'd always heard Warren Gatland was a great man manager and great at bringing teams together, and I had the opportunity to experience that and play the All Blacks, such an incredible tour to go on," Te'o told AAP. "At the time everyone feared them, but by the time we had been through our camps in New Zealand there was a real strong belief that we could get the job done. "Once I got into coaching myself, I used a lot of things I learned from Warren, and then once I started working with Wayne I saw the similarities between the two and why they were successful." Gatland taught Te'o plenty about the building blocks of success."One of the things that is really important in coaching is building team chemistry from the get-go, and Warren did a great job of giving the team free time to have a beer and socialise and build team camaraderie first. Wayne does that too," Te'o said."The second thing is being able to convince a team that they are going to win and how they will win. "I remember Warren talking about how we would beat the All Blacks and where we could catch them by surprise, what our strengths were and how the games would play out. When a coach talks like that you leave the room thinking 'we can do this'"We ended up sharing the trophy, but the Lions shocked the All Blacks after no one gave us a chance." Te'o never got to play the Wallabies on a Lions tour, but there are no regrets."To be honest, when you line up the tours against the Wallabies, Springboks or All Blacks I am taking the All Blacks," he said. "They were the best and had the biggest aura around them. They were two years off winning the World Cup for the second time in a row. There was nothing better." This year's State of Origin series has just been won 2-1 by the Maroons, and now the Wallabies take on the Lions in Brisbane on Saturday night, with the build-up at fever pitch. Te'o understands the enormity of the occasion intimately."My career is split in half between rugby league and rugby union. For me to reach those heights in rugby union is special," he said. "When I played State of Origin I thought that was the biggest thing I would ever experience. Once I went on a Lions tour I realised there is something else out there that is similar in terms of how big the build-up is and how much people get behind it. I was lucky to experience those two events." Brisbane assistant coach Ben Te'o credits his stint as a player with the British and Irish Lions under legendary mentor Warren Gatland as life-changing in his new role. Te'o, who also played for Queensland in the State of Origin arena, had a stellar career in two codes as a player before embarking on his coaching dream. It was under Gatland, regarded as one of the greatest rugby coaches of all time, that Te'o toured New Zealand in 2017 in a three-Test series drawn 1-1. He played inside centre in the 30-15 win in the first Test against the All Blacks, and came off the bench in a 15-15 draw in the final Test. Te'o, who also played 18 rugby Tests for England, said Gatland and rugby league mastercoach Wayne Bennett, who he was assistant coach under at the Dolphins, shared a lot in common. "I'd always heard Warren Gatland was a great man manager and great at bringing teams together, and I had the opportunity to experience that and play the All Blacks, such an incredible tour to go on," Te'o told AAP. "At the time everyone feared them, but by the time we had been through our camps in New Zealand there was a real strong belief that we could get the job done. "Once I got into coaching myself, I used a lot of things I learned from Warren, and then once I started working with Wayne I saw the similarities between the two and why they were successful." Gatland taught Te'o plenty about the building blocks of success."One of the things that is really important in coaching is building team chemistry from the get-go, and Warren did a great job of giving the team free time to have a beer and socialise and build team camaraderie first. Wayne does that too," Te'o said."The second thing is being able to convince a team that they are going to win and how they will win. "I remember Warren talking about how we would beat the All Blacks and where we could catch them by surprise, what our strengths were and how the games would play out. When a coach talks like that you leave the room thinking 'we can do this'"We ended up sharing the trophy, but the Lions shocked the All Blacks after no one gave us a chance." Te'o never got to play the Wallabies on a Lions tour, but there are no regrets."To be honest, when you line up the tours against the Wallabies, Springboks or All Blacks I am taking the All Blacks," he said. "They were the best and had the biggest aura around them. They were two years off winning the World Cup for the second time in a row. There was nothing better." This year's State of Origin series has just been won 2-1 by the Maroons, and now the Wallabies take on the Lions in Brisbane on Saturday night, with the build-up at fever pitch. Te'o understands the enormity of the occasion intimately."My career is split in half between rugby league and rugby union. For me to reach those heights in rugby union is special," he said. "When I played State of Origin I thought that was the biggest thing I would ever experience. Once I went on a Lions tour I realised there is something else out there that is similar in terms of how big the build-up is and how much people get behind it. I was lucky to experience those two events."
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Tuivasa-Sheck on verge of joining Saudi-backed rebel rugby comp on $1m deal
'I raised it at a recent CEO's meeting to ensure everyone's aware of the real and genuine Rugby 360 concept,' George said on Wednesday. 'I'm aware of players that have been interviewed and engaged with. I'm aware of the significant financial opportunities that it could bring, particularly around the branding of the players as individuals. 'I needed to alert everyone so that they are across this and what it could bring in the next few years, because it's a real and genuine concept that is growing momentum and could be quite attractive to any number of players. My understanding is that the financial windfalls are real and they're significant. I'm sure that the financial windfalls are far greater than anything we've ever seen before in rugby.' Nine's Danny Weidler reported on Monday that Storm superstar Ryan Papenhuyzen is also on the radar of R360 organisers. Fellow Storm teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona is another name being discussed. The R360 competition has private equity and Saudi Arabian money behind the concept, with organisers moving to reach their desired target of players before September to meet the contractual obligations that will trigger the financial backing it requires to get off the ground. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has bankrolled LIV Golf, the Saudi football league, which has had Cristiano Ronaldo as its marquee player, and won hosting rights for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Former England rugby international Mike Tindall is the public face of R360. Tindall, who is married to British royal family member Zara Phillips, is in Australia to watch the British and Irish Lions series. The concept will follow a hybrid model of Formula 1 and the Indian Premier League, with private owners to invest in franchises all around the world. Loading The players who agree to sign with R360 aren't signing for specific franchises but rather to the competition itself, with the potential of auctions and drafts being floated. One model being discussed will see a joint Australia and New Zealand-based franchise as well as teams based in the United States, France, England, South America, Asia and South Africa in an eight-team competition that could grow to as large as 12 teams. Competition organisers want to launch a one-off tournament next season, potentially from July to September, before adopting a regular format in 2027. The intended format in 2027 will see the competition split into two blocks, with the first half of the tournament played between March and May and the second stage played between September and December. That window is largely in competition with the NRL, which currently runs from March to October. 'I spoke to Andrew Abdo about it too, because the NRL should be right across it as well,' George said. 'They need to understand whether there's any opportunity with it rather than fight against it. As I understand it, current rugby jurisdictions are against it. 'Maybe it's an opportunity for the NRL to look at having access to a talent pool at a particular time of the year. I'm not sure if those times and opportunities will come to light, but as a game we need to be across it.'
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Tuivasa-Sheck on verge of joining Saudi-backed rebel rugby comp on $1m deal
'I raised it at a recent CEO's meeting to ensure everyone's aware of the real and genuine Rugby 360 concept,' George said on Wednesday. 'I'm aware of players that have been interviewed and engaged with. I'm aware of the significant financial opportunities that it could bring, particularly around the branding of the players as individuals. 'I needed to alert everyone so that they are across this and what it could bring in the next few years, because it's a real and genuine concept that is growing momentum and could be quite attractive to any number of players. My understanding is that the financial windfalls are real and they're significant. I'm sure that the financial windfalls are far greater than anything we've ever seen before in rugby.' Nine's Danny Weidler reported on Monday that Storm superstar Ryan Papenhuyzen is also on the radar of R360 organisers. Fellow Storm teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona is another name being discussed. The R360 competition has private equity and Saudi Arabian money behind the concept, with organisers moving to reach their desired target of players before September to meet the contractual obligations that will trigger the financial backing it requires to get off the ground. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has bankrolled LIV Golf, the Saudi football league, which has had Cristiano Ronaldo as its marquee player, and won hosting rights for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Former England rugby international Mike Tindall is the public face of R360. Tindall, who is married to British royal family member Zara Phillips, is in Australia to watch the British and Irish Lions series. The concept will follow a hybrid model of Formula 1 and the Indian Premier League, with private owners to invest in franchises all around the world. Loading The players who agree to sign with R360 aren't signing for specific franchises but rather to the competition itself, with the potential of auctions and drafts being floated. One model being discussed will see a joint Australia and New Zealand-based franchise as well as teams based in the United States, France, England, South America, Asia and South Africa in an eight-team competition that could grow to as large as 12 teams. Competition organisers want to launch a one-off tournament next season, potentially from July to September, before adopting a regular format in 2027. The intended format in 2027 will see the competition split into two blocks, with the first half of the tournament played between March and May and the second stage played between September and December. That window is largely in competition with the NRL, which currently runs from March to October. 'I spoke to Andrew Abdo about it too, because the NRL should be right across it as well,' George said. 'They need to understand whether there's any opportunity with it rather than fight against it. As I understand it, current rugby jurisdictions are against it. 'Maybe it's an opportunity for the NRL to look at having access to a talent pool at a particular time of the year. I'm not sure if those times and opportunities will come to light, but as a game we need to be across it.'
