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 Stadium in 2025.
The arrangement of the fixture was confirmed early on Thursday afternoon, pitting the iconic multi-nation team against Los Pumas for the eighth time ahead of their three-match test series in Australia.
It will be the first match between the two teams since a draw in 2005, which followed six pre-war matches on Lions Tours to Argentina in 1910, 1927 and 1936.
Like that match in 2005, and their game against Japan in Edinburgh in 2021, the game will be held before the Lions depart for the Southern Hemisphere, and on this occasion will be broadcast on terrestrial television.
Ben Calveley, CEO of The British & Irish Lions, said: Excitement is building as we continue the countdown to the 2025 Tour to Australia and we are delighted to confirm details of this fixture which is a key part of the overall Tour.
“The opportunity to play in Dublin at Aviva Stadium in front of over 50,000 Lions fans will make for a great occasion and the perfect send-off.”
“British & Irish Lions Tours have a rich heritage built over 130 years of touring but alongside our strong history which we are very proud of, it is important that we look for ways in which to evolve our Tours. This pre-Tour fixture is one such example of this and builds on the success of the pre-Tour fixture against Japan at Murrayfield in 2021 which was a resounding success.”
The news comes weeks after the Lions announced a strategic partnership with the Premiership and United Rugby Championship to allow all players to be available for every match of the six-week, ten-game schedule.
Following the match at the Aviva, the Lions will fly out to Perth to play Western Force eight days later before games against each of Australia’s four other Super Rugby Pacific franchises and an invitational ANZAC XV, as well as the three test series against the Wallabies.
The match against the Pumas will only be the fourth time the Lions have played a ‘home’ game, with a defeat to the Rest of the World XV in Cardiff in 1986 their only fixture on British soil before the start of this century.
It potentially opens the door to more opportunities in the future for nations outside of the three Southern Hemisphere World Cup winners, whom the Lions each tour every dozen years, to play matches against the famed representative team.
For exclusive stories and all the detailed rugby news you need, subscribe to The Rugby Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.
“….with a defeat to the Rest of the World XV in Cardiff in 1986 their only fixture on British soil before the start of this century.” This is incorrect…he Lions played The Barbarians at Twickenham in 1977 as part of the Queens Silver Jubilee cenebrations…The Lions won 23-14