A rugby tour 12 years in the making: Australia awaits the British and Irish Lions

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — A huge economic boost, 40,000 British and Irish visitors in a swathe of red supporter gear, and the combined rugby might of four countries set to take on Australia.

The 10-match British and Irish Lions tour — a once-every-12-year occasion for Australia — kicks off next month and local organizers are already primed for the influx of rugby-loving visitors from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The first of three test matches is 50 days away, in Brisbane on July 19. The second test is scheduled for July 26 in Melbourne and the third in Sydney on Aug. 2.

“The Lions is something that tends to reach beyond just the rugby union fans,” Australia head coach Joe Schmidt said during a visit Friday to Suncorp Stadium, “because it’s such an infrequent tour, people just get interested and we’d love to earn the support of all those folk by being really competitive.

“I’d love to think we’re in the hunt.”

Who are the Lions?

The first Lions tour in 1888 comprised mostly English players and included matches in Australia and New Zealand. The tradition grew and since 1989, a Lions squad featuring Irish, England, Scottish and Welsh players has toured every four years on a rotational basis to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Andy Farrell is head coach of a 38-man squad for the 2025 tour, with England lock Maro Itoje selected as captain.

Recent history

Australian rugby has declined since its historic 2001 series victory over the Lions. The 1999 Rugby World Cup champions recovered to clinch that series with back-to-back wins in Melbourne and Sydney after a first-test loss in Brisbane, when the Wallabies were stunned by a crowd overwhelmingly dominated by visiting fans.

In 2013, the Lions — coming off a mid-week loss to the Canberra-based Brumbies in a tour game — edged Australia 23-21 in the first test in Brisbane and then, after losing 16-15 in Melbourne, rallied for a comprehensive 41-6 victory in Sydney.

Wallabies resurgence

After failing to make the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals in 2023, Australia has been in a rebuilding phase under New Zealand-born Schmidt, a former Ireland coach. The Wallabies had six wins in 13 tests in a 2024 season that ended in a 22-19 loss to Ireland in Dublin, but an influx of new players and some improved performances have increased expectations for 2025.

Schmidt, who will start assembling his squad next month as domestic teams bow out of the Super Rugby Pacific championship, knows that the Wallabies need to start being more consistent to win back the support of an Australian public which has a vast number of sporting choices.

The Wallabies are No. 8 in the World Rugby rankings for men’s international teams and need to improve quickly to get a good seeding for the 2027 World Cup, which Australia is hosting.

We “need a series of really good performances and, and it’s something that we’re aspirational about and we work really hard behind the scenes to try to get into the mix,” Schmidt said. “I think some of the promising signs, the way the Wallabies finished off last year, the way the Super Rugby teams have competed this year, and so it’s our challenge to try to continue that.”

Seeing red

James Horwill, Australia’s captain in the 2013 series, has seen enough red when it comes to Lions tours.

His enduring memory of the 2001 series, when he was a teenager watching the first test on TV?

“It felt like a home game for the British and Irish Lions just with just with the red shirts and the crowd,” he said.

He said there was more obvious support for Australia 12 years ago with more fans in gold, but the red of the Lions still stood out.

“You walk out of the hotel, there was red everywhere. It’s almost like the British and Irish Lions fans don’t bring anything else other than red t-shirts,” he said. “They wear it everywhere, so we need our fans here to step up to the mark because we know they’re coming in droves from the U.K.”

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