British and Irish Lions to play a First Nations selection as part of 2025 tour to Australia
Ireland’s head coach Andy Farrell prior to the start of the Rugby World Cup match between Ireland and Scotland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis outside of Paris, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The British and Irish Lions will play a First Nations lineup in Melbourne as part of the nine-game tour of Australia that includes three test matches against Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies.
Rugby Australia confirmed the final itinerary Thursday, 100 days before the Lions tour begins. It also includes a tour match between the Lions and an AUNZ Invitation XV, featuring players from Australia and New Zealand, in Adelaide a week before the first test in Brisbane on July 19.
The July 22 match against the First Nations selection, including Indigenous Australian and Pasifika players, fills a void in the itinerary created when the Melbourne Rebels franchise was dropped from the Super Rugby tournament.
Andy Farrell will be coaching the Lions squad which includes players from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.
It “will be a great celebration of those who continue to contribute enormously to the Australian rugby community,” Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said.
The Lions tour Australia every 12 years in a cycle of southern tours that also include series in South Africa and New Zealand. The 2025 tour kicks off against the Western Force in Perth on June 28.
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