That was the message from WRU chairman Gareth Davies after he watched the Lions draw 15-15 at Auckland’s Eden Park with Kieran Read’s all-conquering side to draw the series 1-1. A former Test Lion himself, Davies was full of admiration for the effort put in by the squad and management.
“It was a great effort by the coaches and the players and one which will only improve as time passes. To hold the world champions in their own back yard, where the Lions have only ever won once in a series in the past, is deserving of the highest of praise,” said Davies.
“There were seven Welsh players involved in the Test team last weekend, a further five in the original tour party and four more who went to join the squad. On top of that we had Warren Gatland, Rob Howley and Neil Jenkins in the coaching team and more key personnel in the back room staff.
“They will all have benefitted hugely from the experience of touring New Zealand and will all come back better players and coaches. That was one of the main reasons we were happy to see them all go forward for selection for the tour.
“Now they can all come home and get a break before turning their minds to beating the All Blacks again in the 2017 UnderArmour Series. For the Welsh contingent it will be something akin to a fourth Test decider.”
While the Lions were bidding to match the achievement of the 1971 tour party in winning a series in New Zealand, Wales will be trying to end a losing run against the All Blacks that stretches back to 1953. Warren Gatland and Sam Warburton can now target another piece of history later in the year.
“It has been a pretty good summer for Welsh rugby. It all started with the Scarlets winning the PRO12 title, we then blooded 11 new caps in our tour wins over Tonga and Samoa and saw new coaches step up to international level,” added Davies.
“Now we can move forward positively into the 2017/18 season with an exciting series of four internationals to look forward to at the Principality Stadium against Australia, Georgian, New Zealand and South Africa.
“The other great aspect of the Lions tour was the incredible support displayed by the fans for their team, a large number of which were Welsh. Everyone in New Zealand, from the Prime Minister, High Commissioner and the general public, was bowled over by how the fans backed their team.
“Eden Park was a sea of red at the weekend and the atmosphere was simply electric. We are used to that at the Principality Stadium and I’m sure it is going to be just the same when Kieran Read brings his All Blacks side to Cardiff.
“This series has shown the true value of the Lions to the world rugby calendar and it has been great mixing with the decision makers from so many other unions around the world before and after these matches. This tour has helped us all in the process of creating a proper structure for the global season.”
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