Lions dedicate NZ tour to London terror victims

Sun, Jun 4, 2017, 4:46 AM
AFP
by AFP
The British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand is off the the perfect start but it wasn't without a fright. The visitors overcoming a spirited New Zealand Barbarians outfit 13-7 in Whangarei.

British and Irish Lions skipper Sam Warburton said the remaining nine matches of their tour of New Zealand will dedicated to those affected by the London terror attacks.

"We will dedicate to those who have been involved," Warburton said on Sunday.

"I guess we can play a small part in trying to cheer a majority of the nation up by trying to be successful over here.

"We'll commit our performances and all our efforts to those involved recently in London."

The tourists expressed shock and sympathy for those killed and injured in the attacks.

News of the attacks filtered through to the Lions on Sunday as they were attending an official welcome ceremony in New Zealand a day after they won their opening tour match 13-7 against the Provincial Barbarians side. 

"We've only just heard about the tragedies in London. We don't know any detail yet, we just heard about it coming out of the meeting house here. But the boys are very shocked," Lions manager John Spencer told journalists. 

"But can I just please express our sympathies with those who have been injured back home. This is a dreadful tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are certainly with those who have been injured - and their families. 

"We're four nations but we're one jersey, one team, and we'll all stand united here about the sentiments in London." 

Six people were killed, three attackers were shot dead by police and at least 20 others wounded following what police two "terrorist incidents" in London.

The attacks came two weeks after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at a concert in Manchester and just days before the United Kingdom general election on June 8.

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