Lions players left to decide for themselves whether to take the knee during South Africa tour

Whether British & Irish Lions players take the knee during their tour of South Africa will be a matter of personal choice – which may mean only three players do so before Saturday’s farewell game against Japan.

The Telegraph can reveal the Lions squad have discussed their position on the divisive gesture in the build-up to the match at Murrayfield, agreeing individuals should continue to perform it or not as they see fit.

However, because the Six Nations finished with only several England players taking the knee, most of Saturday’s match-day squad might not participate in the pre-match gesture.

No England players are in the starting XV and, while four are replacements, forward Courtney Lawes has refused to take part because of its links to the Black Lives Matter movement.

That might leave Owen Farrell, Jamie George and Anthony Watson as the only members of the squad to kneel on Saturday.

As in the Six Nations, anyone wishing to take the knee will be able to do so when the Lions and Japan match-day squads line up for the latter’s national anthem and a message is read out over the public address featuring the words: “We reject all forms of discrimination.”

A decision has yet to be taken about whether exactly the same process will be followed during the South Africa tour, for which the host nation is in charge of stadium operations.

Saturday’s game will be played in front of 16,500 spectators, the UK’s biggest rugby crowd since the coronavirus crisis began.

Players have been booed for taking the knee at football matches played in front of supporters, despite repeated pleas for fans to respect the gesture. During the European Championship, England’s players have been jeered by some of their own supporters.

Advocates of the gesture insist it is nothing more than an expression of solidarity with the anti-racist cause, while its critics claim it is tantamount to an endorsement of the more radical policies of the BLM movement.

Those Lions players who choose to kneel will likely be doing so on their own during their three-Test series against the Springboks.

The world champions have previously worn T-shirts showing their support for anti-racism before matches through a collaboration with the South African Human Rights Commission called Rugby Against Discrimination and Racism.

Asked last month about his players taking the knee against the Lions, South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus said: “We have our own programme called Radar since 2019 which is against racism, our own programme which we initiated long before the other debates started in the world.

“We are happy with the route we are going and how our team is experiencing it, how we are aligned and where we are trying to get with it, so we will stick with our programme on that.”

Liam Williams relishes all-round entertainer role

By Daniel Schofield

Liam Williams is embracing his responsibility to be the Lions’ great entertainer both on and off the pitch.

As well as starting on Saturday in the opening warm-up match against Japan at Murrayfield, the Wales full-back also has the task of keeping the squad’s spirits high after being installed on the Lions entertainment committee, headed by the strength and conditioning coach, Huw Bennett. Last weekend, the squad were allowed to blow off steam with a few drinks after a gruelling first week of training in Jersey. “We all got to know each other,” Williams says with a chuckle.

Otherwise, social activities have to be kept in house. A Fifa tournament was organised on Wednesday with Williams even going to the trouble of sourcing a trophy. The omnipresent Covid-19 regulations will require a fair bit of imagination to navigate as a group, but Williams disputes the notion that they will be a hindrance to building bonds.

“Not really, I think it's a bit easier if you ask me because we spend a lot of time in and around the hotel,” Williams said. “We're not allowed in each other's room but the team room is a place where you can have a game of cards, have a coffee and chat with the boys. I think it's a bit easier than normal. They don't tend to go out in their own groups, there are loads of people here so you tend to spend a lot of time here.

“There are only a certain amount of things we'll be allowed to do. We'll have to book out places for us to eat or if it's just going to the beach then obviously our security guards will be there and we'll have to be socially distanced. And then in house I'll help out as much as I can, but at the end of the day we're here to win a Test series. I'll obviously have my head on that as well.”

That begins on Saturday when Williams starts in an exciting back three alongside first-time Lions Duhan van der Merwe and Josh Adams. “We have got some pace on the outside and some big bruisers in the middle and I will be the ball-out player,” Williams said. “If the boys want it on the edge I will give it to them and leave them to run. We have Duhan and Josh Adams who are very quick so I will probably just give them the ball and try to catch them up.”

After an intense first week of physical conditioning which involved repeated six-second bursts on Watt bikes with altitude masks – “it's like hell but it all goes into the bank” – Williams this week has been getting to grip with attack coach Gregor Townsend’s playbook for the tour. While Williams cannot divulge the exact contents of the those calls, it is clear the overall intention will be to run the ball.

“Gregor’s been great actually,” Williams said. “I’ve not worked with him before. I don't want to go into too much detail, but we're looking to spread the ball as well, whether that be through that backs or even through the forwards. That's about it. I'm keeping my cards close to my chest.”

No playbook in the world would contain the instructions for the counterattack that Williams launched that resulted in Sean O’Brien scoring one of the Lions’ greatest ever tries in the first Test against New Zealand in 2017. And as much work as Williams is putting into learning all of Townsend’s calls, he will always be prepared to trust his gut instinct when an unexpected opportunity presents itself like it did four years ago.

“It all happened so quick,” Williams said. “Ant [Watson] passes me the ball and I see Kieran Read out of the corner of my eye. It's just instinct I guess. There's a bit of space, I thought I'm going to need to go. Step in and then. Palm on [Aaron] Cruden. Ben Te'o good block on Sonny Bill [Williams]. Then my legs went a little bit and I had to wait for Foxy [Jonathan Davies] to come up and help. Then the boys were just great to finish it off. Sean O'Brien over the line.

“You have set-piece calls and calls for phase play but at the end of the day you've got to play what's there and what's going to be in front of you. That for me is probably one of my strengths I think. If it's on to go, then we are going to have a go.”