B & I Lions Tour Schedule, Dates & Squad - Lions get tour underway on 3 July in Cape Town

The British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa begins on 3 July 2021 when they tackle the Stormers at the iconic Cape Town Stadium.

A Lions tour is placed just below a Rugby World Cup on most players’ radar in the Southern Hemisphere. Some players never get a crack at the Lions with them only touring each country once every 12 years.  

When the Lions last visited South Africa in 2009 they lost the series 2-1. After winning the first two Test matches, South Africa played a weakened side in the final Test and got beaten. The previous time the B & I Lions toured was in 1997 when they beat the hosts 2-1.

In 2013 the Lions beat Australia 2-1 and in 2017 drew 1-1 against a very strong All Black side. Head coach, Warren Gatland will be aiming to go three series’ unbeaten as head coach this time around.

The Lions will play a total of eight matches including the three Tests’. The five warm-up games will all take place prior to the 1st Test after the tour was altered due to the pandemic. Normally there would be midweek matches between the Test matches but not this time around.