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British & Irish Lions

British & Irish Lions announce itinerary for 2025 Tour of Australia

Published

9 months ago

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The British & Irish Lions

British & Irish Lions

19 July 2023 05:36 Reading Time: 6 mins

The British & Irish Lions have today released the nine-match schedule for the 2025 Tour to Australia including three Test matches against the Wallabies.

The British & Irish Lions have today released the nine-match schedule for the 2025 Tour to Australia including three Test matches against the Wallabies. Two years out from the Tour, it’s been confirmed that the eagerly awaited Test clashes will take place on 19 July, 26 July and 2 August. The Lions will travel to Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney respectively for the Test matches.

2025 Lions Tour to Australia (kick off times TBC)

  • 28 June, Lions vs Western Force, Perth (Optus Stadium)
  • 2 July, Lions vs Queensland Reds, Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium)
  • 5 July, Lions vs NSW Waratahs, Sydney (Allianz Stadium)
  • 9 July, Lions vs ACT Brumbies, Canberra (GIO Stadium)
  • 12 July, Lions vs Invitational AU & NZ, Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
  • 19 July, 1st Test, Lions vs Wallabies, Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium)
  • 22 July, Lions vs Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne (Marvel Stadium)
  • 26 July, 2nd Test, Lions vs Wallabies, Melbourne (Melbourne Cricket Ground/MCG)
  • 2 Aug, 3rd Test, Lions vs Wallabies, Sydney (Accor Stadium)

The British & Irish Lions will travel throughout Australia with games taking place in some of the most impressive stadiums in world sport.

The Lions will begin the Tour in Perth against the Western Force before facing fellow Australian Super Rugby Pacific sides, the Queensland Reds, the NSW Waratahs, and the ACT Brumbies. The Lions will continue their preparation for the first Test by facing an invitational Australian and New Zealand team in a clash at the Adelaide Oval.

Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium will host the first Test on Saturday 19 July. Following this, a midweek warm up fixture against Melbourne Rebels will take place at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday 22 July.

The second Test will be played on Saturday 26 July at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which has a capacity of 100,000. A potential sell-out crowd at the renowned venue would be a record for a British & Irish Lions Test.

This Test would also represent one of the highest attendances at a rugby match in history. The final Test will be played in front of over 80,000 fans at Sydney’s Accor Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday 2 August.

A strong partnership and a common goal between The British & Irish Lions, Premiership Rugby and the United Rugby Championship has resulted in the Lions having a two-week preparation period before the Tour commences, giving the Lions the best chance of regaining the Series on Australian soil, a country where they enjoyed their last tour win in 2013. Further detail around pre-tour activities, including a pre-tour warm up fixture, will be announced at a later stage.

Details on the Tour schedule follow the announcement of major commercial partners for the Tour, with The British & Irish Lions recently confirming global rugby brand Canterbury as official kit provider and the global insurance group Howden as official front of shirt/jersey sponsor. Confectionery brand Cadbury’s and sportswear manufacturer Asics will continue as the Wallabies official front of shirt and kit partners.

The 2025 Tour to Australia promises to be one of the most eagerly anticipated tours in history considering the absence of fans for the 2021 Tour of South Africa.

Supporters who want to be part of the greatest experience in rugby can guarantee their place for ticket-inclusive travel packages to Australia with The British & Irish Lion’s own travel company, Lions Rugby Travel.

Priority Access Passes are on sale now which will ensure a priority window on packages when they become available. Passes are fully refundable should you choose not to travel and come off your final balance when you book. To purchase Passes or for more information, click here. 

“We are delighted to announce the Tour schedule today as we look ahead to what is to be one of the most eagerly anticipated Series in history,” said Ben Calveley, CEO of The British & Irish Lions.

“I want to take the opportunity to thank Rugby Australia for the strong level of collaboration in planning for this tour and we look forward to continuing to work with them over the next two years. I would also like to thank Premiership Rugby and the United Rugby Championship, whose cooperation has resulted in the longest preparation period for a tour in recent history, which gives us the best possible chance of a Series victory. We look forward to continuing to work with our hosts and our partners to create one of the best tours ever”.

“As we begin the countdown to Australia in 2025, The British & Irish Lions brand and organisation has never been stronger with a global fan base of some 14 million people, a significant following and strong level of engagement through our various digital platforms, and a wide range of commercial partners comprised of some of the biggest brands and organisations in the world.

Our ambition is to further build upon this position and make this upcoming tour the greatest Lions tour ever, positioning it as the major global sporting event of 2025.”

Ieuan Evans, Chairman of The British & Irish Lions, added: “British & Irish Lions Tours are unique in the world of sport, both in terms of the ultimate challenge they represent and the cultural impact they have.  Lions tours to Australia have always been memorable occasions and the 2025 Tour promises to be no different.

I know how special it is to pull on that famous red jersey in Australia, having toured there during the 1989 Tour. What I have learned from those special games is how important the fans are to roaring us on to victory so to be able to announce ticket package details is very exciting.

“Being a part of The British & Irish Lions means being able to unite and inspire through extraordinary rugby experiences, and working closely with our host partners in Rugby Australia, we believe that we can provide an epic tour that will be a global sporting event not to be missed”.

Commenting on the announcement, Rugby Australia CEO, Phil Waugh said: “The British & Irish Lions Tour is one of the great sporting festivals – it is a real landmark of Australian and world sport. Rugby Australia is looking forward to welcoming back the Lions for the first time in 12 years – as well as the tens of thousands of Lions fans from the northern hemisphere.

It is an exciting fixture of matches all around the country with the Lions taking on our Super Rugby franchises, three massive Test matches, and a marquee match in Adelaide featuring a combined invitational Australia-New Zealand side.”

Source – British & Irish Lions


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British &Irish Lions Trust Announce Charity Partnerships

Published

2 months ago

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February 13, 2024

By

13 February 2024 10:58 Reading Time: 6 mins

The British & Irish Lions Trust has today announced its five charity partnerships all of which have rugby at the heart of what they do and make a real impact on communities.

• Dallaglio RugbyWorks
• LooseHeadz
• Matt Hampson Foundation
• My Name’5 Doddie Foundation
• Wooden Spoon

The two-year partnerships will allow the charities to use The British & Irish Lions digital platforms and the Lions Charitable Trust branding for promotion.

The Lions will also collaborate with the charities on fundraising and awareness events. In addition, merchandise from the Lions Tour to Australia, signed by the 2025 squad, will be provided to each charity for auction.

“One of the key objectives of The British & Irish Lions is to have an impact off the pitch as well as on the pitch, and we are proud to be partnering with five incredible charities who all have a connection with rugby at their core.” said Ben Calveley, British & Irish Lions CEO.

“We look forward to supporting these charities and highlighting the important work they do.”

Gavin Hastings, British & Irish Lions Trust Chairperson, added: “The Lions charity programme was first established in 2021 and has been a great success. It is a privilege to announce the five charity partnerships today and we are looking forward to working closely with each of these outstanding charities to support them raise much-needed funds for their charitable causes.”

Dallaglio RugbyWorks

Dallaglio RugbyWorks was founded by former England international and three-times Lions tourist Lawrence Dallaglio. The charity grew out of Lawrence’s vision to offer a long-term skills-development programme for young people, based on the values of rugby. Each year, it helps hundreds of teenagers outside of mainstream education to develop the skills they need to get into sustained employment and training.

Zenna Hopson, CEO, Dallaglio RugbyWorks said: “We are thrilled to embark on this incredible journey as a new partner of The British & Irish Lions Trust. Together, we are aligned in our values, our mission, and also the power of rugby to make a lasting impact for young people, fostering resilience, and positive change. This partnership symbolises our shared commitment to harnessing the transformative spirit of the sport, creating a legacy that extends far beyond the field, to ensure that despite our young people being excluded from school, they will not be excluded from society.”

LooseHeadz

LooseHeadz is rugby’s mental health charity on a mission to place a mental health lead in every rugby club around the world, using rugby as a vehicle to tackle the stigma and help the rugby community talk openly about what can be a challenging subject.

The charity provides each partner rugby club with a toolkit of free resources to support the mental fitness of players, coaches and supporters. LooseHeadz currently works with around 1,000 rugby clubs in 20 different countries to help get people talking and #TackleTheStigma.

Rob Shotton, Co-Founder, LooseHeadz said: “LooseHeadz started as a conversation at the end of our local rugby club bar whilst watching the Lions Tour of New Zealand back in 2017. Just 6 and a half years later, to partner with the Lions is a monumental milestone in our journey. When we first penned our ambitious 10-year business plan, the vision of joining forces with the Lions for this Tour was a cherished dream. And now, as this dream becomes a reality, it stands as our crowning achievement. This partnership, deeply rooted in the very essence of rugby, ignites our fervent belief that alongside an organisation as iconic as the Lions, we can take LooseHeadz to the next level. We’re excited to join the pride and tackle the stigma together.”

Matt Hampson Foundation

The Matt Hampson Foundation inspires and supports young people seriously injured through sport. Through expert physiotherapy, specialist personal training, wellbeing support, mentoring and advice, the Foundation helps people with life-changing injuries to get busy living again.

The Foundation was established in 2011 by ex-England and Leicester Tigers rugby player Matt Hampson OBE, who himself experienced a life-changing injury in 2005 leaving him paralysed from the neck down, aged just 20.

Matt Hampson OBE, Creator of Matt Hampson Foundation said: “We are incredibly grateful and excited to be named as an official charity of the Lions Trust. As rugby fans, it means such a lot for us at the Foundation to be involved with a name known throughout the world and we look forward to working closely with the team to increase awareness of both our Foundation and the Trust as well as, of course, supporting the squad on their 2025 Tour. The British & Irish Lions stands for so much that is good about the game of rugby and their values of respect, unity, integrity and friendship reflect how our Foundation works to bring people together in a special and supportive community.”

My Name’5 Doddie Foundation

The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation was founded in November 2017, following former Scotland international Doddie Weir’s diagnosis with motor neuron disease (MND). Doddie Weir earned 61 caps for Scotland, along with representing The British & Irish Lions on their 1997 Tour of South Africa. The Foundation aims to raise funds to aid research into the causes of MND and investigate potential cures, and to make grants to individuals suffering from MND, to enable them to live as fulfilled a life as possible. To date, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation has committed over £11 million to MND research, as well as providing grants to support people living with the disease.

Jill Douglas, CEO, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation said: “Partnering with The British & Irish Lions Trust in 2021 was an incredibly significant moment for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, and one that meant a great deal to Doddie too. To be asked to be a charity partner again for the 2025 Tour to Australia is an honour and one that will make a real difference as we seek effective treatments to MND. We’d like to thank The British & Irish Lions Trust for their ongoing support and look forward to creating an exciting calendar of activations with them.”

Wooden Spoon

Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby, aims to positively transform the lives of vulnerable children and young people through the power of the rugby community. Projects include specialist playgrounds, sensory rooms for children with autism, out of school educational programmes and specialist adapted sports equipment.

Sarah Webb, CEO, Wooden Spoon said: “The British & Irish Lions gravitas in the rugby community is legendary and this partnership’s endorsement of Wooden Spoon’s grant making activities, really bolsters the ambitions of our volunteers and supporters. The Lions embodiment of coming together to support each other to succeed, resonates deeply with Wooden Spoon’s own community who tirelessly raise awareness and funds to positively transform the lives of children and young people facing disadvantage, through the power of the rugby.”

Source – British & Irish Lions


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Barry John: Rugby world and beyond pay tribute to ‘The King’

Published

3 months ago

on

February 5, 2024

By

By Nathan Edwards

5 February 2024 14:25 Reading Time: 5 mins

Figures from the rugby world and beyond have come together to pay tribute to Barry John following the British & Irish Lions star’s death aged 79.

John, nicknamed “The King” due to his brilliance from fly-half during the 1971 Tour of New Zealand, was considered one of the game’s greatest-ever players.

He was influential when the Lions beat the All Blacks 2-1 in a historic Tour and formed a legendary half-back partnership with fellow Welshman Sir Gareth Edwards.

Obituary: Barry John

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Edwards said: “He was a one-off, no doubt about that.

“He was carefree but had such vision when it came to playing the game. Even under the most immense pressure he would just stand there, look up and do something unbelievable.

“He was friendly and always wanted to chat, but he was also lethal on the rugby field when he decided to do something.”

Along with his five appearances for The Lions across the 1968 and 1971 Tours, he earned 25 caps for Wales in a hugely successful period for the national side, winning three Five Nations, a Grand Slam and two Triple Crowns.

He called time on his career aged just 27 but provided inspiration for many who have gone on to wear the famous Wales or Lions shirts.

Former Wales and Lions captain Sam Warburton said: “What he contributed to the game, even now, 50 years later, still transcends rugby across the world and he hasn’t picked up a ball for 50 years.

“They are heroes for so many people.  The legacy that they’ve left Welsh rugby means when you pick up that shirt that you’re following in their footsteps.”

His outlandish talent brought many new eyes to the sport, and a year before he retired, he finished third in the 1971 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, pipped only by Princess Anne and George Best.

Much like Best, he was not just adored on the field but loved off it with many stating he was rugby’s first star.

Along with his established international career, he brought joy to Cefneithin, Llanelli, Cardiff and Barbarians fans across the country.

Former players and journalists from across rugby also shared their memories of one of Wales’s greatest athletes.

ITV’s Chris Skudder said: “He was so gifted as a fly-half, it was said he could side-step a player in a telephone box.

“There was only one Barry John.”

Welsh Rugby Union’s president Terry Cobner added to the tributes, he said: “To be crowned ‘The King’ in New Zealand when every back row forward in both the North and South Islands is trying to take your head off is quite some accolade.”.
“For me, he has got to be right up there among the greatest outside halves who have ever played the game – probably the greatest.

“He was a glider, rather than a sidestepper, who had a subtle change of pace and direction. Coming on top of the recent deaths of Brian Price and JPR Williams, this is another huge blow for Welsh rugby.

“After what he did for Wales and the Lions in 1971, those of us who followed him into both teams always felt we had huge shoes to fill. He was and will remain a legend of our game.”

Source – British & Irish Lions


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CEO Ben Calveley: British and Irish Lions Women’s Series announcement a “historic milestone”

Published

3 months ago

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January 16, 2024

By

16 January 2024 16:21 Reading Time: 3 mins

British & Irish Lions CEO Ben Calveley hailed confirmation of the first-ever Lions Women’s Tour in September 2027 as a significant milestone in the touring team’s 136-year history.

The inaugural Howden British & Irish Lions Women’s Series will take place in New Zealand, the home of the current world champions, following a feasibility study commissioned by Founding Partner Royal London.

After a three-part process, the Tour is projected to be commercially sustainable for all stakeholders and Calveley believes this is only the start of what is set to be a monumental journey.

“We do believe this is a historic milestone in our 136-year history and we’re really pleased to be announcing the 2027 tour,” he said.

“It brings with it sell-out crowds, we’ll have passionate fans in full stadiums.

“There will be a high media footprint, we’re seeing high levels of interest and importantly it is commercially sustainable, not just for the Lions but for the hosts in New Zealand rugby as well.

“We want the bulk of the matches to take place in another location, a country that we can travel round and have lots of community impact.

“We wanted to make sure we were taking decisions that were in the best interest of the Lions and the best interest of the women’s game. This is day one for us and we’ve got lots of decisions to make.”

The Howden British and Irish Lions Women’s Series will retain the idea that a Test series will take place at the end of a Tour and its squad foundations will be based upon merit-based selection.

Founding Partner Royal London will also oversee player development through an elite players’ Pathways Funding grant which will support the elite women’s player pathways in Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England.

The moment of parity was particularly poignant for Chair of The British & Irish Lions and the Lions Women’s feasibility study steering group, Ieuan Evans, who featured in three Tours with the Lions between 1989 and 1997.

“I’m fortunate to have gone on a number of Lions Tours which, in many ways, shaped me and to a large extent defined me as a person,” Evans said.

“It is an opportunity for women now to sample that exciting experience of being on a Lions Tour.

“Going out there to take on the world champions, the Black Ferns in New Zealand in three and a half years is going to be special.

“It is an incredibly humbling moment for me to deliver something genuine, authentic and real which will enhance the women’s game and the Lions as an entity as well.

“It is heaped in tradition but the Lions Women will be ploughing their own furrow – it’s something really palpable, even this far ahead of the tour.

“This is for all those people who are training now and for young girls to watch this in a few years and be inspired, just like I was growing up.”

Source – British & Irish Lions


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