Following on from the success of two Rugby Club special shows, broadcast live from The Cabbage Patch in Twickenham and O’Neills in Cardiff, Sky Sports staged a third British and Irish Lions special live from Walkabout, Temple.

On the night, Rugby Club host Alex Payne was joined by a panel of four former British and Irish Lions players. Stuart Barnes, Donal Lenihan, Alan Tait and Robert Jones were on hand to field questions from the 150-strong crowd who had packed the venue to watch the show.

The event was hugely popular with the fans – both Lions and Aussies alike – who enjoyed an evening of good-natured debate and banter with the panel and each other, before the majority came down on the side of a Lions victory.
Simon Kaye, Chief Operating Officer at iNTERTAIN (parent company of Walkabout) commented on the success of the event: “Sky Sports made it a great event. They were really organised and everything was done really well and it brought a lot of people in to the venue. The Lions will be great for us and it is important we do everything right and that everyone enjoys it as it will be massive for business. It’s so special because it’s not just one team – it brings a nation together and unites the customers. It’s going to be a fantastic tournament – but unfortunately I think the Aussies will edge it!”

Rugby Club presenter Alex Payne said: “It was another great event and it just proves how much interest and excitement there is around the Lions. It’s going to be a really closely fought tour and you don’t want to be sitting at home alone when you’re watching that third test – it’s an event to be watching with your mates in the pub, as tonight’s live show has proved. Just look at the banter we’ve had.”
Former Welsh rugby star and Lions player Robert Jones, who sat on the panel, said: “Tonight was great. You could feel the excitement and anticipation around the venue ahead of the tour and we had some fantastic questions and input. There is an excitement around Lions rugby. It is special and everyone wants to be part of it and to enjoy that banter it generates with people from other parts of the world.”

Video clip from the Rugby Club Live at Walkabout Temple