British and Irish Lions

This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s British and Irish Lions news, interviews, reports, opinion and other content.

My British & Irish Lions team are ready for take-off

8 December 2024 0 comments

By Nick Cain – Read his expert opinion every week… There is a view that picking a Lions Test team almost seven months before the […]

Why Tomos Williams should be a British & Irish Lion

5 December 2024 0 comments

By Peter Ryan – @PeterRyanSports Over recent years, some high-profile names have been joining the Gallagher Premiership. Finn Russell, Waisea Nayacalevu, and Leigh Halfpenny are […]

Joe Schmidt: We’ll give Lions a real test

1 December 2024 0 comments

By Brendan Gallagher Australia coach Joe Schmidt is optimistic about the Lions challenge next summer after pushing Ireland all the way in Dublin. They came […]

Scotland must not waste potential

1 December 2024 0 comments

By Jeremy Guscott – Outspoken and unmissable every week… An assessment of where Scotland and England are after the autumn series, with another Calcutta Cup […]

Scotland deserve fair share of British & Irish Lions

1 December 2024 0 comments

By Chris Hewett – Thinking Allowed We may be exaggerating here, but not by much: since the wonderful Tom Smith made the last of his […]

Nic White: We’ll make it hard for the Lions

24 November 2024 0 comments

By Mark Stevens On the rise: Nic White in action for Australia PICTURES: Getty Images Nic White believes Australia have sent a timely reminder to […]

Jason Robinson backs Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to ‘make an impact’ on Lions tour

6 November 2024 0 comments

Jason Robinson is backing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to defy his inexperience and take the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour by storm. Robinson believes that England’s […]

Huw Jones urges Scotland team-mates to produce strong season in Lions tour bid

29 August 2024 0 comments

The Scots had eight players involved in the 2021 tour of South Africa. Huw Jones has challenged his Scotland colleagues to produce the season of […]

Farrell in danger of being lost in France

25 August 2024 0 comments

Jeremy Guscott Outspoken and unmissable… Every week Finn Russell’s statement about how much he’d like to reunite with Owen Farrell for the 2025 Lions, particularly […]

Finn Russell: I’d love to forge creative axis with Owen Farrell on Lions tour

23 August 2024 0 comments

The rivals butted heads for years as influential playmakers for Scotland and England but struck up a friendship during the 2021 Lions tour. Finn Russell […]

Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies will provide a tough test for Lions

4 August 2024 0 comments

Nick Cain gives his thoughts on the 2025 British Lions series against Australia, saying the Aussies will be hard to beat under Joe Schmidt.

The British & Irish Lions are back!

5 July 2024 0 comments

And they promise to bigger and better than ever when they hit Australian shores a year from now. It will have been eight years since […]

Lawes still has Lions in his sights

26 May 2024 0 comments

Courtney Lawes was typically modest when he was presented with the Rugby Union Writers Club’s prestigious Pat Marshall Award as the outstanding Rugby Personality of […]

50 years ago, the Lions start to sweat

12 May 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER At the start of the year, this column promised to dip into […]

Lineout ace Parling joins Wallabies

28 April 2024 0 comments

Former England lock Geoff Parling has joined Joe Schmidt’s Australia coaching set-up as the build-up to next summer’s Lions tour intensifies. Parling, 40, had previously […]

Ex-Lions and Wales prop O’Shea dies at 83

24 April 2024 0 comments

Former British and Irish Lions and Wales prop John O’Shea has died aged 83 after a lengthy illness. O’Shea made five appearances for Wales across […]

Brown: £3m grant will help bridge gap

21 April 2024 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK Shaunagh Brown questions why Wales don’t already have the basic professional requirements to compete but says the ‘levelling the playing field’ campaign […]

Women’s Lions sponsors will provide funding to avoid imbalance

16 April 2024 0 comments

A £3 million grant funded by Royal London will attempt to provide more balance among the Home Nations, ensuring the women’s British and Irish Lions […]

Let’s hope the Lions can find their roar

31 March 2024 0 comments

CHRIS HEWETT THINKING ALLOWED IN THE unlikely event that anyone out there is still searching for something nice to say about the British and Irish […]

Series 3, Episode 31: Picking a British & Irish Lions XV for Australia 2025

25 March 2024 0 comments

The British & Irish Lions are just over a year away from heading down under to take on Australia! With dust settling after the 2024 […]

Ireland lining up NZ and Wallabies

17 March 2024 0 comments

Ireland will face New Zealand and Australia in their autumn series before head coach Andy Farrell takes his leave of absence to lead the British […]

George the Great takes his final bow

17 March 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW On a Tuesday afternoon at Anfield in the late autumn of 1993, All Black No.878 made a […]

The day John took on the NZ bully boys

11 February 2024 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW Barry John shall forever occupy a unique place in the rugby Pantheon in celebration of his readiness […]

Legend who had no wish to be one

11 February 2024 0 comments

Paul Rees says it was hard not to fall in love with rugby as a young boy, watching his hero play for Cardiff RIP the […]

Wales great John dies at 79

5 February 2024 0 comments

Wales and the British and Irish Lions‘ legendary former fly-half Barry John has died aged 79. Widely considered an all-time great of the game, John […]

The Lions show still sets the standard

4 February 2024 0 comments

Living with Lions, the film released off the back of the compelling British and Irish tour of South Africa in 1997, set the standard for […]

Red Rose legends can’t wait for Lions to set sail

4 February 2024 0 comments

By PAUL MARTIN Maggie Alphonsi and Danielle Waterman share 156 England caps between them but both would have traded a few for a chance to […]

Lions announce historic women’s tour for 2027

16 January 2024 0 comments

The British and Irish Lions will send their first ever women’s team to New Zealand for a tour in September 2027. A statement on the […]

Farrell will use NZ experience to fire up Lions

14 January 2024 0 comments

By ADAM HATHAWAY Andy Farrell will use Ireland’s 2022 victorious tour of New Zealand as the template to guide the British & Irish Lions to […]

Charismatic Farrell the right choice for Lions

14 January 2024 0 comments

JEREMY GUSCOTT OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK ANDY Farrell is a very good choice as Lions head coach of the 2025 tour of Australia. It […]

Farrell to take charge of Lions in 2025

11 January 2024 0 comments

Andy Farrell has been named as the British and Irish Lions head coach for the tour to Australia in 2025. Farrell, 48, has coached Ireland […]

Wales legend JPR Williams dies aged 74

8 January 2024 0 comments

Former Wales and British and Irish Lions fullback JPR Williams has died aged 74. The Bridgend and London Welsh legend won eight Five Nations titles, […]

When the selectors made the right calls

7 January 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER IT’S 2024 – a belated Happy New Year by the way – […]

Day when the tears flowed for Devereux

24 December 2023 0 comments

PETER JACKSON THE MAN TRULY IN THE KNOW THE Brewery Field in Bridgend last Wednesday night offered more than a few famous old faces in […]

Millar knew how to keep ref onside

17 December 2023 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS Dr Syd Millar was many things – Ballymena stalwart, redoubtable Ireland Test prop, successful Ireland coach and innovative rugby administrator at the dawn […]

Only right that the Lions play in Ireland

10 December 2023 0 comments

The Lions used to go out of their way to make friends in little towns not much bigger than villages. Now that they have to […]

Lions set up Aviva date with Argentina for 2025

7 December 2023 1 comment

The British and Irish Lions will play a match in Ireland for the first time in their history when they face Argentina at the Aviva […]

2025 Lions will be available for the whole tour

19 November 2023 0 comments

All players selected for the 2025 British and Irish Lions to Australia will be available for the whole tour thanks to a new partnership with […]

Hooper in line for Lions role

5 November 2023 0 comments

ON THE BLINDSIDE BY NEIL FISSLER The Lions could appoint former Bath director of rugby and England Saxons second row Stuart Hooper as their team […]

Farrell’s favourite to lead the Lions

23 July 2023 0 comments

By PAUL REES There has been little cheer for rugby in Australia in recent years, but the prospect of a Lions tour is always enough […]

Lions 2025 schedule released including game against Australia-New Zealand XV

19 July 2023 0 comments

The British and Irish Lions have confirmed their schedule for their 2025 tour of Australia, including a match against a joint Australia and New Zealand […]

We need more time to prepare the 2025 Lions

28 May 2023 0 comments

SHANE WILLIAMS WALES AND LIONS LEGEND I was fortunate enough to go on two tours with the British & Irish Lions and then to be […]

Ireland star Molloy keen for women’s Lions tour

5 March 2023 0 comments

By BEN JAYCOCK Ireland back row Claire Molloy feels a potential British and Irish Lions tour will massively boost the sport ‘as it’s the final […]

Rassie Erasmus set to get date for misconduct hearing

29 August 2021 1 comment

World Rugby will discern if Rassie Erasmus used the right channels to air criticisms of officials after the first Lions Test

Lions lose their direction in more ways than one | Peter Jackson

22 August 2021 1 comment

As Lions tours grow shorter, their destinations are limited to big cities. Peter Jackson looks at some of the lesser known locations past tours travelled to

Who Were the Standout Lions Performers in the Latest Tour?

19 August 2021 0 comments

The overall tour of South Africa was a disappointment for the British and Irish Lions, as they ended up losing 2-1 over the series in […]

Lions tour 2025: These Lions would thrill in Australia with Lam’s magic

15 August 2021 0 comments

Brendan Gallagher picks his Lions coach and starting XV for the 2025 tour TRYING to anticipate a Lions starting fifteen is difficult enough four days […]