SARU CEO Rian Oberholzer has described it as 'tragic' if South Africa were dropped from the Lions' regular rotation, pointing to the 2021 series as unfinished business — played behind closed doors, it generated virtually no revenue for SA Rugby. His concern is real but measured: he acknowledges the Beyond29 process is still at the advisory stage, with the Lions only now appointing consultants to stress-test alternative destinations including France, Japan, and the Americas.
The piece also draws in former Scotland number eight John Beattie, who toured with the Lions in 1980 and 1983. He sees the commercial logic of expanding into the US or Japan but agrees that sidelining South Africa would amount to 'disrespect' — and he wasn't shy about labelling last year's Australia tour 'a bit boring' by comparison. The core tension the article surfaces is whether the Lions prioritise financial growth in untapped markets or protect a rivalry-driven model where South Africa and New Zealand remain the gravitational centres.