British and Irish Lions 2017: John Spencer reveals Lions will consider tour without English player if stalemate continues

The 2017 Lions tour manager does not want to see such a scenario unfold but admitted it is a course of action that the Lions would be willing to take

John Spencer admitted Lions tours could continue without English players (Getty)

British and Irish Lions tour manager John Spencer has warned that the side are prepared to tour without English players if a new agreement cannot be reached with the Premiership clubs over making them available for a full two-week preparation period.

The 12 clubs that make up the top flight, along with Premiership Rugby, are currently unwilling to budge on their designated dates for the final weekend of the season, which this year came just two days before the Lions squad departed for New Zealand. Talks are due to take place over how the future Lions tours will be factored into the new global season in the coming weeks, but Lions head coach Warren Gatland has stressed that the players must be made available for a full two-week preparation if tours are to have the best chance of being successful.

Spencer echoed those calls and after seeing the Lions draw the third Test 15-15 to share the series with the All Blacks on Saturday, he confirmed that there could be a future scenario where English players are not made available by Premiership clubs and are thus left out of the tour.

"Yes I can. I would dread the day when it became divisive like that,” Spencer said.

"We have in our VIP party a couple of (Premiership club) owners, David Morgan and Derek Richardson. These guys understand the Lions.

"I wouldn't like it to be divisive like that, no.

"All it needs is a few sensible heads to sit around a table and talk about it and I am sure there are people in the Premiership who understand the Lions and who want it to succeed, just as they want their own countries to succeed.

"But we have to sit down and talk about it pretty quickly.

"I would be happy to meet the clubs and I am sure John Feehan would as the chief executive to sit down and have the opportunity to sit down and talk about it.”

The All Blacks and Lions had to share the series (Getty)

The admission is a concerning one given it is coming from a former England captain in Spencer, and off the back of such a successful tour of New Zealand that has seen the Lions avoid a series loss against the All Blacks for just the second time in their history.

But Spencer confirmed that the recent World Rugby meeting in San Francisco, which was used to decide the new global calendar that comes into effect from 2020, saw the Lions left out of negotiations, with the four representatives of the home unions the only voice for the tourists.

"We have been told that World Rugby have had a meeting, that the Premiership was represented at that meeting in San Francisco and what I want to know is 'who was representing the Lions?',” Spencer added.

"Because John Feehan wasn't invited and I certainly wasn't invited. Who was representing the Lions' interest when this agreement was made? The answer is I don't know."

The current compromise looks to be a reduction in tour length, with either fewer games making up the tour or a week being chopped off the duration the likely outcome. The concerns from the clubs is that the Lions tour does not help with player welfare, given that the squad returns from a gruelling six-week tour tired, bruised and in some cases broken, and normally needs a few weeks at the start of the season to get back up to speed.

Spencer would be willing to sit down with the Premiership clubs to reach an agreement (Getty ) (Getty)

But Spencer argued that be refusing to budge their domestic finals, player welfare was already being put at risk to the “madness” that saw the Lions play the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians just three days after landing here, despite issues with jet lag and having very little time to prepare for the match that they edged 13-7.

"Player welfare: no coach in any of our countries at any level would have accepted that starting schedule that we had from the final Saturday through to our playing the next week," said Spencer.

To let it fade away just for political reasons would be madness to me: it would be suicide

&#13; <p>John Spencer</p>&#13;

"Just madness as far as player welfare is concerned but if you are also using those first few games to prepare for a Test, it is not a proper preparation. We just cannot let that happen on a future Lions tour.

"It's a conversation we have got to have, obviously. But I will be making very strong suggestions, perhaps demands even, that that doesn't happen in the future. You know we are putting the players at risk.

"What would happen if we had a serious injury in the first two matches and guys were tired and not on the ball?

"There are all sorts of difficulties that could have been caused, but thankfully no-one was injured in those matches.

&#13; Warren Gatland has been vocal about the need for more preparation time &#13; (Getty)

"How often in rugby do we negotiate on principle and settle on cash. It happens a lot. But I am going to make it very clear, and I feel very strongly about it, that the Lions tour is being eaten up at every corner, and this cannot be allowed to happen.

"To let it fade away just for political reasons would be madness to me: it would be suicide.

"So, we have to sit down and have some serious conversations with provinces, clubs and unions, and we have to manage this. It is far too valuable to lose it, and surely once every four years we could be given an extra couple of weeks. That couple of weeks could be here, but equally it could be at home where we are not jet-lagged and can train properly.

"Fixtures being arranged in mid-week at home has happened before. I feel very strongly about it."