Just as the inaugural tour by the men’s Lions team in 1888 took in a tour of New Zealand, so the first women’s tour will be to the same country 139 years on. The first game played by the Lions was against Otago in Dunedin on 28 April 1888, which the tourists won 8–3.
The inaugural women’s tour will include three Tests against the current world champions, the Black Ferns.
“This is a key development for women’s rugby and women’s sport in general and we are pleased to announce initial details of the Lions Women’s Tour alongside our constituent Unions, Founding Partner Royal London and Series Title Partner Howden,” said Evans.
“Alongside all the other key stakeholders who have played crucial roles in bringing this concept to this point, we also want to thank our partners in New Zealand Rugby who we are excited to work with in preparation for the Tour.
“Having seen the superb job they did in hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2022 and the level of interest there was amongst the New Zealand public I have no doubt they will be fantastic hosts and will really add to the overall spectacle.”
There will be pre-Test fixtures to add to the three clashes with the Black Ferns and the announcement will give Ioan Cunningham’s Welsh squad something extra-special to aim at after the 2025 World Cup.
The Test Series will take place in September 2027 during the women’s global competition window and will not overlap with the men’s Rugby World Cup in the same year in Australia.
This announcement follows a feasibility study funded by Lions Founding Partner Royal London, which concluded that the optimum time for the Tour is 2027. The feasibility study also investigated all key aspects of creating a Lions Women’s Tour with a consultation process exploring brand, commercial, financial, spectator, logistical, and scheduling considerations.
The feasibility study was followed by a Tour host selection process with New Zealand emerging as the preferred Tour destination.
“Supporting the growth of the women’s game is a key strategic priority for The British & Irish Lions as it is for each of our Unions. Significant effort has gone into exploring the concept of a Lions Women’s Tour,” Lions CEO Ben Calveley.
“I want to recognise the collaboration of our four Unions and thank them for their continued support and the level of commitment they have shown throughout this journey. I would also like to thank World Rugby for the reforms to regulation 9 which makes this Tour possible in 2027.
“Playing three Test matches against the current world champions in front of thousands of fans represents the ultimate challenge and makes for a fantastic sporting spectacle.”
New Zealand hosted not only the 2022 World Cup, in which the Black Ferns beat England in the final, but also the inaugural WXV tournament. Both events exposed the Welsh players to the highest levels of the new professional game.
“When the opportunity arose to be part of history and have the honour of hosting the inaugural British & Irish Lions Women’s Tour, we knew we wanted to be part of it,” said New Zealand RU CEO Mark Robinson.
“Women’s rugby is growing at pace in New Zealand and following the success of the Rugby World Cup in 2022, we know the excitement world class competition can generate. There will be anticipation around the country about the prospect of hosting the Lions and we look forward to announcing venues and match schedules in the future.
“The Lions and New Zealand have a long and storied history in the men’s game, and we cannot wait to help write a new chapter in the rivalry – this time between the Lions Women and the Black Ferns.”
