{"id":284414,"date":"2025-07-23T05:38:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T05:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/284414\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T05:38:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T05:38:08","slug":"lions-2029-tour-set-to-span-12-games-across-three-nations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/284414\/","title":{"rendered":"Lions 2029 Tour Set to Span 12 Games Across Three Nations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The British &amp; Irish Lions are set to break new ground in 2029 \u2014 with a potential stop in the\u00a0United States\u00a0on the cards as part of their tour to\u00a0New Zealand.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a major move to help grow the game stateside ahead of the\u00a0<strong>2031 Rugby World Cup<\/strong>, the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.co.uk\/rugby\/story\/_\/id\/42208117\/british-irish-lions-play-las-vegas-2029-source\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Lions are reportedly planning an exhibition clash in the U.S<\/a>. \u2014 likely against the\u00a0<strong>USA Eagles<\/strong>\u00a0or an\u00a0<strong>invitation XV<\/strong> in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/channel\/AbYd2l05pp1bM_Ix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Join RUCK\u2019s Instagram broadcast channel\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>and get the latest rugby news straight to your phone.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfdf\ufe0f TWICKENHAM GETS THE NOD<\/p>\n<p>Before crossing the Atlantic, the tour will kick off with a\u00a0<strong>home fixture<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 and all signs point to\u00a0<strong>Twickenham<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Why? It\u2019s only fair.<\/p>\n<p>The last three Lions home games have been shared evenly around the Home Nations:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\ud83c\udfdf\ufe0f\u00a0Aviva Stadium, Dublin (2025)<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udfdf\ufe0f\u00a0Murrayfield, Edinburgh (2021)<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udfdf\ufe0f\u00a0Principality Stadium, Cardiff (2005)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That leaves the\u00a0<strong>Home of Rugby<\/strong>\u00a0next in line \u2014 with\u00a0<strong>Argentina<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>Fiji<\/strong>\u00a0tipped as likely opponents under the lights in London.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83e\udd81 THE ROAD TO NEW ZEALAND<\/p>\n<p>Once the US match is done, the Lions will head down under for a brutal warm-up schedule, facing off against all five\u00a0<strong>Super Rugby<\/strong>\u00a0franchises:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Blues<\/li>\n<li>Chiefs<\/li>\n<li>Crusaders<\/li>\n<li>Highlanders<\/li>\n<li>Hurricanes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They\u2019ll also go toe-to-toe with the\u00a0<strong>M\u0101ori All Blacks<\/strong>\u00a0in one of the most passionate matchups of the tour.<\/p>\n<p>Following the\u00a0<strong>first Test against the All Blacks<\/strong>, a midweek clash with the\u00a0<strong>New Zealand Barbarians<\/strong>\u00a0is also on the cards \u2014 perfect for rotating the squad and keeping the intensity sky-high before the final two Tests.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lionstour.com\/2027-2029-sign-up\/#:~:text=Touring%20with%20the%20Lions%20is,detail%20is%20taken%20care%20of.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PACKAGES TO AUSTRALIA 2025 HAVE NOW SOLD OUT. SIGN UP FOR NEW ZEALAND 2029.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcc5 LIKELY 2029 LIONS FIXTURES<\/p>\n<tr>Date (TBC)FixtureLocation<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>vs Argentina or Fiji<\/td>\n<td>Twickenham, London<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>vs USA Eagles \/ Invitational XV<\/td>\n<td>United States<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>vs Blues<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>vs Chiefs<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>vs Crusaders<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>vs Highlanders<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>vs Hurricanes<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>vs M\u0101ori All Blacks<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>1st Test vs New Zealand<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>vs New Zealand Barbarians<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>2nd Test vs New Zealand<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>TBC<\/td>\n<td>3rd Test vs New Zealand<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<p>\u201cUndroppable\u201d \u2013 Five Lions Who\u2019ve Emerged as Genuine Test Contenders<\/p>\n<p><strong>The British &amp; Irish Lions secured another midweek victory as debutant Jamie Osborne crossed for two tries in a dominant performance against the First Nations &amp; Pasifika XV at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a look at who might have pushed themselves into contention for the Test 23.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/channel\/AbYd2l05pp1bM_Ix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Join RUCK\u2019s Instagram broadcast channel\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>and get the latest rugby news straight to your phone.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83e\udde0\u00a0<strong>The General Returns \u2013 Owen Farrell<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Position:<\/strong>\u00a0Inside Centre \/ Fly-Half<br \/><strong>Tours:<\/strong>\u00a04th Lions Tour \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83e\udd81<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verdict:<\/strong><br \/>Back in the saddle and straight into command. Starting his first game of the tour, Farrell led the midweek Lions from 12 with trademark authority. His dink over the top set up Jamie Osborne\u2019s second try, and his composure cemented his value as a squad leader. Farrell\u2019s ability to cover 10 and 12 puts real pressure on Marcus Smith for the playmaker bench spot.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetrugby.com\/news\/british-and-irish-lions-player-ratings-owen-farrell-the-best-of-an-underwhelming-lot-in-hard-fought-victory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Planet Rugby 8\/10: <\/a><\/strong>\u201cThe best of the Lions today as he vindicated the coaches\u2019 decision to call him up. He pitched in with two try assists and caused all kinds of havoc for the First Nations and Pasifika XV defence. His first assist was a sharp spot of the lack of backfield cover as he put in a pinpoint chip over the top, with his weaker foot, to make the most of it. His show and go in the second half paid dividends for Van der Merwe. Skippering the Lions for the first time, Farrell rose to the occasion and may well still have something to say in the Test series.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>FloRugby 8.5\/10<\/strong>: \u201cDirected traffic with assurance and supported Fin Smith well. His kick for Osborne\u2019s try was world-class\u2014executed off his weaker foot. Read the defence smartly, exploiting gaps with grubbers and short balls. His disguised pass to van der Merwe created a vital score. Led with intelligence, and this composed, tactical showing bolsters his case as a steadying force in the backline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcdd\u00a0Still the most natural field marshal in the squad.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ruck.co.uk\/lions-2029-tour-set-to-span-12-games-across-three-nations\/2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like this:<\/p>\n<p>Like Loading&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"sd-link-color\"\/>\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The British &amp; Irish Lions are set to break new ground in 2029 \u2014 with a potential stop&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":284415,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-284414","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114900939917320738","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}