The Lions have bailed-out Australian rugby again, with the hugely profitable 2025 tour by the British & Irish outfit last summer helping Rugby Australia (RA) to recover from a £19m deficit in 2024 to announce a £37.5m profit in 2025.
This cash injection of almost £60m, which has left the game Down Under debt-free, is largely due to the money-spinning bonanza from an estimated 40,000 Lions fans travelling to Australia.

The importance of those supporters boosting interest in rugby union in Australia to the extent that record numbers of local fans also attended matches – including a 90,000 ...