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The future of the British & Irish Lions is being widely debated<\/p>\nThe latest headlines from Wales and around the worldThe future of the British & Irish Lions is being widely debated<\/p>\n
These are your evening rugby headlines on Sunday, July 20.<\/p>\n
Legend proposes radical Lions change<\/p>\n
England legend Will Carling has proposed a radical change to the current British & Irish Lions touring system, suggesting that the traditional tours to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa should be replaced by a ‘Best Of’ showdown every four years. The 59-year-old, who represented the Lions on their 1993 tour of New Zealand, has also suggested holding the clash in a neutral location, with the United States proposed as a potential host.<\/p>\n
As Andy Farrell’s side battle it out with the Wallabies this summer, the future of the Lions brand is the subject of much discussion, with a potential future tour of France expected to be discussed by powerbrokers in Melbourne this week. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.<\/a><\/p>\n The Lions are contracted to tour New Zealand in 2029 but the tours of South Africa in 2033 and Australia in 2037 have not formally been agreed, meaning major change could be afoot in less than a decade.<\/p>\n Former England skipper Carling has now taken to social media to suggest a new idea, proposing that the Lions face a combined Southern Hemisphere XV every four years to bring “something new” to rugby.<\/p>\n “How about The British & Irish Lions V The Southern Hemisphere \u2018something\u2019s\u2019,” he wrote. “The best of the South V the North – every four years.<\/p>\n “Could stage in USA – or move around locations – something new in rugby\u2026.”<\/p>\n While some fans hailed Carling’s idea as a “great innovation”, others gave their backing to the France idea that is quickly gaining traction.<\/p>\n It comes after the vice-president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) Abdel Benazzi told the Guardian<\/a> that Lions chiefs consider a tour of France to be a “good idea”.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at the legacy and the reputation of the Lions, of course they have the tradition with the south, our position as a neighbour is that we can do something together in the future,” he said. \u201cWe had contact, not formally, just a friendly chat with the guys from the Lions and they started thinking maybe it would be a good idea.<\/p>\n “We don\u2019t have a formal decision now but maybe we will talk about having two meetings with the [women] and the Lions and the men and the Lions in the future. Maybe in 2027 and 2029. We don\u2019t think of just one shot, we think of a programme for the future.”<\/p>\n Wales star summoned<\/p>\n Wales U20s back row Evan Minto has been summoned by an independent disciplinary committee after being sent off in his side’s U20s World Championship defeat to Italy.<\/p>\n Richard Whiffin’s side were beaten 31-23 by the tournament hosts as they finished eighth at the tournament overall, and they finished the game with 13 men as Minto was shown a second yellow card moments after Harry Thomas was also sent to the sin-bin<\/p>\n Minto was initially dismissed for 10 minutes for offiside shortly before the half-hour mark in Saturday’s play-off clash, before picking up another yellow five minutes from the end of time for a no-arms tackle.<\/p>\n