The British and Irish Lions are set to risk the wrath of rugby traditionalists by playing a match in America as part of their 2029 tour. Next summer, head coach Andy Farrell will lead the squad out in Australia, with the tourists set to play nine games down under, including a three-match test series.
Prior to that trip, the Lions will play a warm-up game against Argentina in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
It’s a tactic previously deployed by Clive Woodward ahead of the 2005 trip to face the All Blacks when his side played out a draw with the Pumas at the then-named Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
However, according to the Telegraph, New Zealand rugby are proposing a historic first. They reportedly want the Lions to embark on a flight to the US to play a match before heading to their own country, with Las Vegas put forward as a potential destination.
Chicago and Los Angeles have also been touted as possible venues, with the game set to help promote the 2031 Rugby World Cup that will take place in America for the first time. However, there are seemingly no plans for one of the test matches to be hosted in ‘Sin City’, with the Lions instead set to kick off their tour in the country.
A similar game was inserted into the schedule when the Lions went to Australia in 2013, their last outright series win. Warren Gatland’s side faced the Barbarians in Hong Kong, with the Kiwi coach citing the benefits of breaking up a long journey in a sensible location.
“It would meet the Lions’ requirements from a performance point of view,” a source was quoted as saying. “There have been conversations around Vegas, Chicago and LA. We have talked about one game potentially outside of New Zealand.”
However, the latest development is likely to be met with a hostile response from fans who have long argued the principles of rugby’s most famous tourists are being eroded. Trips have already been shortened due to player welfare disputes with club sides, leaving modern day Lions coaches with considerably less time to work their squad.
Following the Argentina clash, Farrell’s team will play nine games in Australia in 2025. Contrast that with the much eulogised 1997 tour to South Africa, when under Ian McGeechan and Jim Telfer, the team played 13 matches in South Africa.
New Zealand proposing a game in America follows the All Blacks being dubbed ‘trailblazers’ for their previous ventures into the US. Back in 2016, they were beaten by Ireland in a historic affair at Chicago’s Soldier Field, with the pair scheduled to meet again at the same venue next year.
Earlier this year, the All Blacks also beat Fiji in San Diego. Las Vegas meanwhile, has hosted NRL games and there is an agreement in place for Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves to play a Super League clash in the city in 2028.
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