British and Irish Lions to play a First Nations selection as part of 2025 tour to Australia

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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.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/03/2025 (232 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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.

FILE - 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)
FILE - 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)

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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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

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