Imagine Irish rugby had to compete with a professional GAA and a thriving League of Ireland for talent. Would the country still be so successful?

That is the picture facing Australia at the moment and then some, given the popularity of Rugby League, AFL, cricket, soccer, basketball and countless other codes down under. Yet just over 20 years ago, Australian rugby defied this sporting competition to produce a side good enough to win the 1999 World Cup, beat the Lions in 2001 and narrowly miss out on back-to-back global crowns in 2003. What has changed?

Jonathan Drennan is a Belfast-born journalist working for the Sydney Morning Herald. He joins host Nathan Johns to explain Australian rugby’s recent demise.

Will this Lions tour, combined with hosting duties at the 2027 World Cup, give the sport the injection of eyeballs it needs, or will it bankrupt a once great rugby nation?

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