France want regular Lions games – Benazzi

Third Test: Australia vs. the British and Irish Lions

Date: Saturday, August 2 Kick-off: 11:00 BST

In addition to the anticipated warm-up matches for the first women’s tour in 2027 and the men’s tour of New Zealand in 2029, the French Rugby Federation wants to “build something for the long term” with the British and Irish Lions.

There are more calls to add it to the Lions calendar because of the popularity of the club game in France and the possibility for Lions fans to follow the team for a relatively low price.

Abdelatif Benazzi, vice-president of FFR, told BBC Sport about discussions surrounding the 2027 and 2029 fixtures, “We start with this, but I don’t want it to be just one shot.”

“I believe we can create something long-term.”

Before the touring side’s warm-up game against Argentina, former France internationals Benazzi and Nicolas Hourquet, the FFR’s director of international relations, met with Lions officials in Dublin last month.

Ben Calveley, the Lions’ CEO, later said he “certainly understands” the excitement surrounding a potential France tour.

Lions officials’ pressure on the Wallabies to bring in more well-known international players for their tour matches heightened their level of competition while they are currently playing in Australia.

The Lions won the series opener against the Wallabies by defeating Australia’s four Super Rugby teams on an average of 27.5 points.

Benazzi claims that France has no intention of stifling the Lions’ regular rotation, which alternates every four years between Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Instead, he hopes opportunities will be created by the new global calendar, which kicks off with the first biennial Nations Cup in 2014.

You keep that, Benazzi said, “Of course, we don’t touch the legacy in the south,” he continued.

“We have a lot of projects,” he said. We want to see what the United States can expect from them, perhaps in Paris or London. We’re merely considering concepts.

It’s easier to project what we want to do: a warm-up before the tour, a special game, maybe every four years, in our own countries or outside to advance the game.

A full-scale Lions’ Tour of France is a compelling prospect.

The French national team’s performance at this year’s Six Nations matches their previous best performance.

The Lions and their fans could travel between games more easily than they would have been in their traditional settings, which is a testament to the country’s strong and growing interest in rugby.

However, there are significant logistical and political challenges.

The potential window for a tour is slack as the Top 14 season drags on until the end of June. Additionally, it puts a lot of strain on the players.

France frequently chooses its top players over resting stars and developing depth as part of a contract with their clubs.

In two of the three matches this summer, a France side with second-string power put New Zealand in the lead.

Benazzi believes that any issues can be resolved by a generation of players who are eager for new challenges and a revised strategy to balance the demands of France’s clubs and national team.

We’re looking for the new model with the league and France now that the Nations Cup [where a team’s final standings] start is being played], he said.

Every player has a chance to compete and play, according to the French team, “we build 50 players around the project.”

We’ll strike a balance between LNR and FFR,” the statement read.

They want something more than just traditional games, according to the youngsters. They want to face the biggest challenges and compete. I believe they would now prepare like a World Cup for [the Lions]”

The Lions’ game against France would mark their first appearance since a 1989 event to mark the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Benazzi, who won the following year’s first of 78 France caps, claims it is overdue for a revival.

He said, “My generation missed a lot of things.” Sometimes we return home after missing the big game.

Since 1989, I believe we have lost a lot of time.

We are so close to our neighbors, but far from this legacy, and the strength of the Lions is amazing.