The British & Irish Lions Face Australia: Everything You Need to Know
This summer, the British & Irish Lions travel to Australia for an exciting three-match series against the Wallabies. Head coach Andy Farrell will seek to secure what would be the second series victory this century.
Key Match Dates
All Lions matches in Australia will start at 7:45 p.m. AEST (10:45 a.m. BST), scheduled for Saturdays or Wednesdays.
June 20 – vs. Argentina (in Dublin, Ireland)
June 28 – vs. Western Force
July 2 – vs. Queensland Reds
July 5 – vs. NSW Waratahs
July 9 – vs. ACT Brumbies
July 12 – vs. Australia & New Zealand Invitational XV
July 19 – vs. Australia
July 22 – vs. First Nations & Pasifika XV
July 26 – vs. Australia
August 2 – vs. Australia
Where to Watch the Lions Tour
The tour will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Stan Sport in Australia. The three test matches will also be available on Channel 9 in Australia.
You can also follow all the action through live blogs of each match, as well as news and featured coverage.
Lions’ Historical Performance
The challenge for Andy Farrell is to guide the Lions to their second series victory in almost 30 years, following their success in Australia in 2013.
In 2013, Warren Gatland’s team won the series 2-1, including a decisive 41-16 victory in Sydney. However, the two subsequent Lions teams have not achieved the same success.
The 2017 tour to New Zealand ended in a draw, with the All Blacks and the Lions winning one test match each before drawing 16-16 in the final match in Auckland.
The 2021 tour to South Africa, marked by the Covid pandemic, started well with a Lions victory of 22-17, but the Springboks won the next two matches and the series.
2021 – vs. South Africa (2-1 defeat)
2017 – vs. New Zealand (1-1-1 draw)
2013 – vs. Australia (2-1 victory)
2009 – vs. South Africa (2-1 defeat)
2005 – vs. New Zealand (3-0 defeat)
2001 – vs. Australia (2-1 defeat)
Last Lions Tour in Australia
The Lions won the series 2-1 in 2013, securing the victory for Warren Gatland in his first of three tours as coach. They beat the Wallabies in Brisbane, but Australia tied the series in Melbourne a week later.
The Lions dominated the Wallabies 41-16 in Sydney, ending Robbie Deans’ six-year tenure as Australia’s coach.
Current Situation of the Wallabies
Australia’s situation was not favorable after their performance in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which led to the departure of coach Eddie Jones. However, under the direction of Joe Schmidt, the Wallabies achieved a 6-7 record in 2024.
Australia will play a warm-up match against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6 before the first test match against the Lions.
Lions’ Call
Head coach Andy Farrell announced his 38-player squad at the O2 Arena in London, with Maro Itoje captaining the Lions in 2025. There were interesting decisions, including Henry Pollock, and the absence of Owen Farrell, Sam Prendergast, Darcy Graham, Tom Jordan, Jamie George and George Ford.
Also notable are the absences due to injury of Caelan Doris and Zander Fagerson.
Wallabies Call-Up
Schmidt will confirm the Wallabies squad to face the Lions after the match against Fiji on July 6. There are likely to be few significant changes, aside from potential injuries, from the 36-player group that will face the Pacific Islanders.
The coach backed his trio of young players and only included two players without international experience: Corey Toole and Nick Champion De Crespigny.
