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LIONS TOUR TO AUSTRALIA 2025

The missing ingredient will be back in 2025 and we cannot wait to make the next British & Irish Lions Tour the biggest and most successful yet.

Australia will be the destination for the world’s greatest touring team and we want it to be a celebration on and off the field. Nothing makes a Lions Tour special like the fans. The iconic Sea of Red is unique in sport and we’d love you to be there with us under the Lions banner.

Our experiences put you, the fans, first. With a great range of options, durations, destinations, inclusions, incredible special events, safety and security, we have it covered so you don’t have to worry.

Lets make The Lions roar in 2025. Join us now.

The Lions to play Argentina in Dublin

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The British & Irish Lions will face Argentina at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday 20 June 2025 for the Lions 1888 Cup.

This will be the first time The British & Irish Lions will play in Ireland and will help prepare the team ahead of the 2025 Tour to Australia.

This fixture follows the successful 1888 Cup match against Japan in Edinburgh ahead of the 2021 Tour of South Africa, with the Lions winning 28-10 on that memorable occasion.

The fixture also gives fans the opportunity to see the Lions in action and send off the squad on a high before they embark on their journey to Australia. For those who can’t attend, the match will be shown live on Sky Sports and will also be broadcast on terrestrial television with details to be confirmed in due course.

The Lions first toured Argentina in 1910 and returned in both 1927 and 1936. The last match between the two sides took place on home soil in 2005 in Cardiff with that fixture ending in a 25-25 draw.

Tickets for the fixture will be available from €40 and will be released in March 2024. Tickets will be allocated via various channels including IRFU, Ticketmaster.ie and the Lions Rugby Club.

To find out more sign up at lionsrugby.com/jointhepride

Lions rugby club tour memberships have guaranteed access to tickets and can be purchased today at membership.lionsrugby.com/home, priority access to ticket-inclusive travel packages is available today at lionstour.com/argentina, “excitement is building”.

Ben Calveley, CEO of The British & Irish Lions, said of the fixture announcement: “Excitement is building as we continue the countdown to the 2025 Tour to Australia and we are delighted to confirm details of this fixture which is a key part of the overall Tour.

“The opportunity to play in Dublin at Aviva Stadium in front of over 50,000 Lions fans will make for a great occasion and the perfect send-off.

“British & Irish Lions Tours have a rich heritage built over 130 years of touring but alongside our strong history which we are very proud of, it is important that we look for ways in which to evolve our Tours. This pre-Tour fixture is one such example of this and builds on the success of the pre-Tour fixture against Japan at Murrayfield in 2021 which was a resounding success.

“British & Irish Lions fans are a core part of what makes a great Lions Tour. This fixture in Aviva Stadium gives fans who may not be travelling to Australia the opportunity to see the Lions in action which is really important to us.

“The 1888 Cup match in Dublin will give even more supporters the opportunity to be part of the Lions exciting journey and we look forward to witnessing a Sea of Red in Dublin before we depart for Australia.

“Finally, I would like to thank The Irish Rugby Football Union and La Unión Argentina de Rugby for their support and collaboration in the organising of this fixture”.

2025 Lions Tour to Australia (kick off times TBC)

• 20 June, Lions vs Argentina, Dublin (Aviva Stadium)
• 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)

Ieuan Evans, Chairman of The British & Irish Lions, added: “This fixture is set to be an amazing occasion as well as an important part of our preparation ahead of the 2025 Tour, as we bid to claim our first Lions Series win since 2013. It’s hugely exciting for the players selected on the Tour to play a Lions fixture in Aviva Stadium and I’m sure it is something they will all relish.

Aviva Stadium is one the most iconic venues in World Rugby and has been the scene of some of the greatest moments in rugby over the years. What’s more, Dublin is an amazing sporting city, and many rugby and sporting fans will have enjoyed the camaraderie and the warm welcome over the years. It is a wonderful destination for Lions fans and a brilliant setting for our pre-Tour fixture.”

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Autumn Internationals 2024: Fixtures, schedule and kick-off times for England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and more

When are the rugby Autumn Internationals? Who do England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales play and where? Key dates, fixtures and full schedule as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina all travel to the Northern Hemisphere for Tests in the Autumn Nations Series

Tuesday 23 April 2024 12:41, UK

The full schedule has been confirmed for rugby's Autumn Internationals, with the giants of the Southern Hemisphere once again coming to take on the Six Nations teams in a busy month of rugby.

England will have Tests against New Zealand and Australia before hosting world champions South Africa, a repeat of their World Cup semi-final, before completing their run of fixtures against Japan.

Six Nations champions Ireland have Friday night matches against New Zealand and Argentina ahead of further games against Fiji and Australia, while the All Blacks' autumn tour also contains trips to France and Italy.

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South Africa also take on Scotland and Wales during their three-Test tour, with Scotland having further games against Fiji, Portugal and Australia during a busy November. Wales' meeting with the Springboks follows matches with Fiji and Australia.

Autumn Internationals: Fixtures and UK kick-off times

Saturday november 2.

3.10pm England vs New Zealand, Twickenham Stadium

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5.40pm Scotland vs Fiji, Murrayfield

Friday November 8

8.10pm - Ireland vs New Zealand, Aviva Stadium

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Saturday November 9

3.10pm England vs Australia, Twickenham

5.40pm Italy vs Argentina, TBC

8.10pm France vs Japan, Stade de France

Sunday November 10

1.40pm - Wales vs Fiji, Principality Stadium

4.10pm Scotland vs South Africa, Murrayfield

Friday November 15

8.10pm - Ireland vs Argentina, Aviva Stadium

Saturday November 16

3.10pm Scotland vs Portugal, Murrayfield

5.40pm England vs South Africa, Twickenham

8.10pm France vs New Zealand, Stade de France

🏉 Here are your 2024 #AutumnNationsSeries Fixtures 🙌 pic.twitter.com/S8GUhS2bw5 — Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) April 22, 2024

Sunday November 17

1.40pm - Italy vs Georgia, TBC

4.10pm - Wales vs Australia, Principality Stadium

Friday November 22

8.10pm France vs Argentina, Stade de France

Saturday November 23

3.10pm - Ireland vs Fiji, Aviva Stadium

5.40pm - Wales vs South Africa, Principality Stadium

8.10pm - Italy vs New Zealand, TBC

Sunday November 24

1.40pm Scotland vs Australia, Murrayfield

4.10pm England vs Japan, Twickenham

Saturday November 30

3.10pm - Ireland vs Australia, Aviva Stadium

Watch every game of the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, including all three Test matches against the Wallabies, exclusively live on Sky Sports . Also stream with NOW .

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Munster secure another victory over the Lions to wrap up stellar South Africa tour

Two bonus-point victories in as many weeks in south africa leaves graham rowntree’s men in a healthy spot on the urc ladder.

Simon Zebo of Munster in action against the Lions. Photograph: Deon van der Merwe/Steve Haag Sports/Inpho

URC: Lions 13 Munster 33

South Africa remains a very happy hunting ground for Munster as the champions backed up last weekend’s win over the Bulls with a bonus point triumph in Johannesburg.

Graham Rowntree’s men return to Ireland with ten points in the bag and with plenty of momentum to suggest they are going to make a strong defence of their URC crown in the coming weeks. Munster dished out a lesson in how to build a score to the Lions in the opening and went in at the break leading by 23-6 despite having only 41 per cent possession.

The champions made the most of what they created and crept into a 9-0 lead in the opening quarter as they opted for the posts rather than try go for the kill to the corner with three penalties.

Jack Crowley landed all three penalties from 35-40 metres on the right wing to build a healthy lead, and when the Lions opted for the right corner with three penalties, Munster defended superbly with the danger ending when skipper Tadhg Beirne executed a trademark jackal.

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No surprise then when Lions opted for the posts with their next penalty, with fullback Jordan Hendrikse getting them off the mark from 38 metres after 27 minutes.

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But Munster hit back. They went for the left corner after winning a scrum penalty near halfway. Peter O’Mahony collected the lineout and the drive was perfectly timed by the Munster pack with Jack O’Donoghue getting the touchdown and Crowley adding the extras to lead 16-3 after 34 minutes.

Hendrikse pulled back a penalty inside the 22 two minutes from the interval but Munster struck a telling blow with the clock in the red when Simon Zebo pounced as Lions tried to hack the ball clear and he somehow dribbled the ball three times before being taken out by Lions skipper Marius Louw.

43 nóim #LIOvMUN @LionsRugbyCo 3 @Munsterrugby 23 Tugadh úd pionós ar an cuairteoirí 🙌 Simon Zebo's efforts results in a penalty try for Munster! @IrishRugby @URCOfficial @Pinergy #BKTURC #Rugby pic.twitter.com/djQVEfTzLr — Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) April 27, 2024

Referee Craig Evans didn’t need to dwell watching the replay before awarding a penalty try and dishing out a yellow card to Louw as Munster took a commanding 23-6 lead into the break.

Lions should have reduced the margin while down a man but Hendrikse fluffed a penalty from 30 metres four minutes after the restart and they coughed up another try before their captain returned.

Munster worked the ball smartly off a scrum with Crowley and Zebo putting it wide before Gavin Coombes, just on the field, slipped it to Shane Daly to score in the left corner.

Both sides emptied their benches after that before Lions got over for a try when replacement hooker PJ Botha finished an eight-phase move with Hendrikse converting to make it 28-13.

Replacement flanker Ruan Venter had a try scratched for a double movement five minutes from time and then Munster countered and secured the bonus point, again using the set piece as the platform and after getting the drive off a lineout on the left, Coombes got over for the bonus point to seal a deserved win.

Scoring sequence: 5 mins: Crowley pen 0-3; 8: Crowley pen 0-6; 20: Crowley pen 0-9; 27: Hendrikse pen 3-9; 34: O’Donoghue try, Crowley con 3-16; 38: Hendrikse pen 6-16; 40: penalty try 6-23; Half-time: 6-23; 48: Daly try 6-28; 62: Botha try, Hendrikse con 13-28; 79: Coombes try 13-33. Full-time: 13-33

Lions: J Hendrikse; R Kriel, E Cronje, M Louw (capt), E van der Merwe; S Nohamba, M van den Berg; M Naude, J Visagie, R Dreyer; W Alberts, R Delport; JC Pretorius, E Tshituka, F Horn.

Replacements: A Ntlabakanye for Dreyer (48 mins), PJ Botha for Visagie (48), R Nothnagel for Alberts (52), R Venter for Tshituka (54), G Lombard for Kriel (59), JP Smith for Naude (64).

Munster : S Zebo; C Nash, A Frisch, S O’Brien, S Daly; J Crowley, C Murray; J Loughman, N Scannell, S Archer; RG Snyman, T Beirne (capt); P O’Mahony, A Kendellen, J O’Donoghue.

Replacements: C Casey for Murray (45 mins), G Coombes for O’Donoghue (47), T Ahern for O’Mahony (52), J Wycherley for Loughman (52-72), O Jager for Archer (59), M Haley for Zebo (66), J Carbery for Frisch (68), E Clarke for Scannell (68).

Referee: Craig Evans (Wales).

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