Every four years, a British and Irish Lions tour is still seen by many as the peak of professional rugby, with the finest players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland joining forces.
This summer, head coach Andy Farrell will lead the Lions to Australia with the aim of winning a series in the southern hemisphere for the first time in 12 years. The Lions’ last series victory came on their last tour of Australia in 2013. They tied 1-1 (with one draw) against New Zealand in 2017 and lost 2-1 to South Africa in 2021.
Maro Itoje will be unveiled as Lions captain today and become only the second Englishman to lead the famous touring side in the professional era.
When is the Lions tour of Australia?
The Lions will play a match in Dublin against Argentina on June 20 before travelling to Australia and commencing tour matches on June 28. The tour will then run throughout July, ending with the third and final Test against Australia on August 2.
The Lions will face a First Nations and Pasifika XV in their last midweek match of the 2025 tour, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Set for July 22, the match had been due to be against Melbourne Rebels until the Super Rugby franchise disbanded last year. That space has now been filled by another invitational side that will feature players with indigenous Australian and Pacific Islands heritage.
How do I watch the 2025 Lions tour?
Sky Sports have exclusive rights to show all Lions matches this summer, with radio coverage of all matches available on TalkSport.
Fixtures: Full schedule
UK times (BST)
Friday, June 20 – 7pm
vs Argentina (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Saturday, June 28 – 9.45am
vs Western Force (Optus Stadium, Perth)
Tuesday, July 2 – 9.45am
vs Queensland Reds (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
Saturday, July 5 – 9.45am (6.45pm local time)
vs NSW Waratahs (Allianz Stadium, Sydney)
Wednesday, July 9 – 9.45am (6.45pm local time)
vs ACT Brumbies (Gio Stadium, Canberra)
Saturday, July 12 – 9.45am (6.45pm local time)
vs Australia & New Zealand Invitational (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide)
Saturday, July 19 – 9.45am (6.45pm local time)
vs Australia – First Test (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
Tuesday, July 22 – 9.45am (6.45pm local time)
vs First Nations and Pasifika XV (Marvel Stadium, Melbourne)
Saturday, July 26 –9.45am (6.45pm local time)
vs Australia – Second Test (MCG, Melbourne)
Saturday, August 2 –9.45am (6.45pm local time)
vs Australia – Third Test (Accor Stadium, Sydney)
When is the squad announced?
The squad will be officially announced today, May 8. Andy Farrell is expected to name between 35 and 40 players. To pick your own squad and see how it compares to the squad picked by our experts, use our dedicated Lions squad selection tool.
Who is in the Lions coaching team?
England No 2 Richard Wigglesworth and Ireland’s recent interim boss Simon Easterby have been named as assistant coaches for the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia this summer.
A surprise appointment sees Scotland forwards coach John Dalziel recruited to Andy Farrell’s management team and he is joined by Ireland’s John Fogarty and Andrew Goodman.
Farrell is the only member of the staff with previous Lions coaching experience.
Simon Easterby
Age: 49
Current job: Ireland interim head coach (normally in charge of defence)
Lions experience: Zero tours as coach; one as a player
Coaching credentials: A tourist as a rounded flanker on the ill-fated 2005 tour, Easterby won 65 caps for Ireland and another two for the Lions before taking the leap to coaching.
Easterby spent two years as the Scarlets defence coach before moving into the head coach role. In 2014, he then joined Joe Schmidt’s Ireland coaching team as forwards coach. He switched to defence in 2021 under Andy Farrell and took interim charge of Ireland in the 2025 Six Nations in Farrell’s absence. With Easterby as assistant, Ireland won two Six Nations titles (in 2023 and 2024) with one Grand Slam (in 2023).
Richard Wigglesworth
Age: 41
Current job: England senior assistant coach (in charge of attack)
Lions experience: Zero tours
Coaching credentials: The youngest of Farrell’s assistants, the former England scrum-half transitioned into coaching while a player-coach at Leicester, leading a Premiership title victory with the Tigers. He then took the reins fully on a temporary basis upon Steve Borthwick’s departure to England in 2022.
Wigglesworth joined Borthwick before the 2023 World Cup and has been leading England’s attack since. Last year, he was promoted to senior assistant coach in Borthwick’s set-up and his inclusion is reward for England’s second-place Six Nations finish.
Andrew Goodman
Age: 42
Current job: Ireland backs coach
Lions experience: Zero tours
Coaching credentials: The New Zealand-born Goodman is the sole “foreign” coach in Farrell’s cabal and has been running the Irish attack alongside the head coach since the 2024 Six Nations, when he replaced England World Cup winner Mike Catt.
Goodman was poached from Leinster, where he was the brains behind the province’s attack from the start of the 2022-23 season, having helped the Crusaders to the Super Rugby title a few months earlier. The former fly-half and centre – who played for Leinster between two stints in Japan – was also a part of Samoa’s coaching team at the 2023 World Cup. Ireland won the 2024 Six Nations with Goodman as an assistant.
John Dalziel
Age: 48
Current job: Scotland forwards coach
Lions experience: Zero tours
Coaching credentials: A former flanker with Gala, Melrose, London Scottish and then the professional (now defunct) Border Reivers outfit, Dalziel joined the senior Scotland set-up as forwards coach ahead of the 2020-21 season.
Between his playing retirement and role alongside Gregor Townsend, he was the forwards and head coach at Melrose, the head coach of Scotland under-20s and sevens, and the forwards coach of London Scottish and then Glasgow. It was from the Warriors where he was poached by Townsend in 2020. Scotland won the most line-outs of any nation in the 2025 Six Nations under Dalziel’s tutelage.
John Fogarty
Age: 47
Current job: Ireland scrum coach
Lions experience: Zero tours
Coaching credentials: Having began his playing career in 2000 for Munster, it took Fogarty another 10 years to win his first and only cap for Ireland, as a replacement in the loss to New Zealand. Fogarty, whose playing career was more well known for stints at hooker with Connacht and Leinster, did however make numerous appearances for Ireland A before his retirement because of concussion in 2010.
Upon retirement, Fogarty became an elite player development officer with Leinster, while also fulfilling the role of scrum coach with Ireland Under-20s. In June 2015 he became the senior scrum coach at Leinster before moving up to the international arena in 2020. As with Easterby, Ireland have won two Six Nations titles with one Grand Slam since Fogarty’s arrival.
Who will be Lions captain?
By Daniel Schofield and Gavin Mairs
Maro Itoje will be unveiled as British and Irish Lions captain today and become only the second Englishman to lead the famous touring side in the professional era.
With Ireland captain Caelan Doris almost certain to miss the tour of Australia after undergoing shoulder surgery this week, head coach Farrell will turn to Itoje, the England and Saracens second row. The 30-year-old will be present at an event at the O2 in London as Farrell unveils his squad in front of an estimated 2,000 supporters. Read more here.
What happened on the 2021 tour?
The Lions last toured in 2021, when they were beaten 2-1 by South Africa in a tour that was played behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
2021 – South Africa
Lost 2-1
2017 – New Zealand
Drew 1-1
2013 – Australia
Won 2-1
2009 – South Africa
Lost 2-1
2005 – New Zealand
Lost 3-0
2001 – Australia
Lost 2-1
1997 – South Africa
Won 2-1
1993 – New Zealand
Lost 2-1
1989 – Australia
Won 2-1
1983 – South Africa
Lost 3-0
1977 – New Zealand
Lost 3-1
1974 – South Africa
Won 3-0
1971 – New Zealand
Won 2-1
1968 – South Africa
Lost 3-0
1966 – New Zealand
Lost 3-0
1962 – South Africa
Won 2-1
1959 – New Zealand
Won 2-1
1955 – South Africa
Lost 2-1
1950 – New Zealand
Lost 4-0
1936 – South Africa
Lost 2-0
1930 – New Zealand
Lost 3-1
1924 – South Africa
Won 2-1
1914 – New Zealand
Lost 3-1
1910 – South Africa
Lost 2-0
1908 – New Zealand and Australia
New Zealand:Lost 3-1 (4-match series)
Australia:Won 2-0 (2-match series)
1904 – South Africa
Lost 2-1 (3-match series)
1888 – New Zealand and Australia
New Zealand:Lost 1-0
Australia:Won 1-0