British and Irish Lions statement: 2025 tour starts with Dublin match
The British and Irish Lions have confirmed that their 2025 tour to Australia will begin with a pre-departure game versus Argentina in Dublin. It will be the first time they have played the Pumas since a 2005 pre-tour fixture in Cardiff – and it is also the first time they will have ever played in Ireland.
A statement read: “The British and Irish Lions will face Argentina at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on June 20, 2025, for the Lions 1888 Cup. This will be the first time the British and 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 allows fans to see the Lions in action and send off the squad on a high before they embark on their journey to Australia.
“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.”
Lions CEO Ben Calveley said: “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.
The Lions are coming to Dublin! ???
We will face Argentina at Dublin's @AVIVAStadium on Friday, 20 June 2025 before our Tour of Australia ?
For more details including how to guarantee yourself tickets, visit our website ?? https://t.co/XtGXnDtVdO#Lions2025 pic.twitter.com/nZmLcKMiEb
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) December 7, 2023
“British and Irish Lions tours have a rich heritage built over 130 years of touring but alongside our strong history which we are very proud of, we must 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.
“The 1888 Cup match in Dublin will allow even more supporters 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 Union Argentina de Rugby for their support and collaboration in the organising of this fixture.”
IRFU CEO Kevin Potts added: “The British and Irish Lions is synonymous with rugby heritage, pride and passion and I am delighted that Irish fans will have an opportunity to watch one of rugby’s most popular and iconic teams play for the very first time in Ireland.
“The IRFU is very proud to host this ‘home’ fixture prior to the 2025 tour and it promises to be a momentous celebration for Irish rugby in our 150th anniversary season. A packed Aviva Stadium will provide an ideal launchpad for the Lions before they depart for Australia, allowing many Irish rugby fans to savour the extraordinary experience that is being a Lions supporter, on home soil.
“I would like to thank the board of the British and Irish Lions for awarding Irish rugby with this honour, which will fittingly bookend our 150th-year celebrations.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Why is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
2 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
1 Go to commentsNice piece of writing. And yes the Sharks pulled a rabbit from the hat and were a little lucky with that penalty try that wasn’t given… however the Sharks (with their resources) should be way more consistent and should be putting teams like Claremont away for breakfast. I expect more from them and hope they kick on now.
8 Go to commentsJust what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
8 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
8 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to commentswel the crusaders were beaten by a queensland reds side that hadnt beaten them at home since 1999 and queensland reds partied like it was 1999
6 Go to commentsHard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
6 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
6 Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
8 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
8 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
8 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
8 Go to comments