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7th December 2023
12:39pm GMT
The British & Irish Lions have announced details for an historic Test match at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, ahead of the 2025 tour to Australia.
Murrayfield (Edinburgh), Hong Kong and the Principality Stadium (Cardiff) have had the honour of hosting Lions warm-up matches ahead of recent tours but Dublin has got the gig for a tour it is expected to be overseen by Ireland head coach Andy Farrell.
The Lions announced the game against Argentina will take place at Lansdowne Road on Friday, June 20th 2025. It will be the first time the Lions will play in Ireland, will help prepare the team for the tour Down Under and the winner gets the 1888 Lions Cup.
Tickets for the game will be available from March 2024, starting off at €40, and will be allocated via various channels including IRFU, Ticketmaster (Ireland) and the Lions Rugby Club. Sky Sports are showing the game but it will also air on terrestrial TV [details to be confirmed]. Ben Calveley, chief executive of The British & Irish Lions, commented:
"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...
"This fixture in Aviva Stadium gives fans who may not be travelling to Australia the opportunity to see the Lions in action which is really important to us. The 1888 Cup match in Dublin will give even more supporters the opportunity to be part of the Lions exciting journey and we look forward to witnessing a Sea of Red in Dublin before we depart for Australia."
Ieuan Evans, chairman of The British & Irish Lions, added: "This fixture is set to be an amazing occasion as well as an important part of our preparation ahead of the 2025 Tour, as we bid to claim our first serieseries win since 2013. It’s hugely exciting for the players selected on the tour to play a fixture in Aviva Stadium and I’m sure it is something they will all relish.
"Aviva Stadium is one the most iconic venues in World Rugby and has been the scene of some of the greatest moments in rugby over the years. What’s more, Dublin is an amazing sporting city, and many rugby and sporting fans will have enjoyed the camaraderie and the warm welcome over the years. It is a wonderful destination for Lions fans and a brilliant setting for our pre-Tour fixture."
For the IRFU, the coup of landing a such a Test match at Aviva Stadium will coincide with the union's 150th anniversary season.
IRFU President Greg Barrett said,"In Ireland, we pride ourselves on the strength of our warm welcome, and I have no doubt that fans across the island of Ireland and beyond will get behind the Lions and enjoy this incredible sporting spectacle."
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