by The British and Irish Lions have announced that an inaugural women’s team will tour New Zealand in September 2027.
The team will play three Tests against the Black Ferns, the reigning world champions, as well as five warm-up games in New Zealand, which are expected to be against provincial teams.
The confirmation of the first-ever women’s team marks a new chapter in the Lions’ 136-year history, which chief executive Ben Calveley called a “historic milestone” for the women’s game, warning that it would not be just a copy-and-paste version. there. of men’s journeys.
“What we’re going to do is just replicate what happens in the men’s game,” Calveley said. “This could have been very different. We see ourselves in the future going to many very different places.
“You could see France being very interesting for the Lions women’s tour going forward, the same across North America – they’re hosting the men’s and women’s World Cups in 2031 and 2033.
“The page is blank and we could take ourselves anywhere as long as it’s right to grow the women’s game.”
Significantly, international quotas will not be imposed on the women’s team, which would follow the same selection process based on merit as in place for the men’s Lions teams.
There had been fears that English players would lead the Lions women’s squad as the Red Roses have been the most successful home nation on the women’s Test scene in recent years, having won the last four Six Nations titles. win.
Organizers insist the women’s team will be commercially sustainable, having already secured two commercial partners to support the 2027 tour. Royal London, the Lions’ global partner, will act as the founding partner of the women’s team, and the company Howden insurance confirmed as title partner of the inaugural series.
Money invested by Royal London will be invested directly into player pathways in each of the domestic unions to support the continued growth of the wider women’s game.
“We are very clear that we are just one part of the global rugby ecosystem and that we are now a very new part of the women’s game, and we wanted to make sure that we were making decisions that were in the best interest of the country. Lions, but also for the benefit of the women’s game,” said Calveley.
The development follows months of work by the Women’s Lions feasibility steering group – made up of administrators from across professional rugby, business executives, and former players – who decided last year that a tour would be commercially viable.
The main questions
Why New Zealand?
Simply put, the Black Men are the queens of women’s rugby. In fact, they are one of the two rugby nations, along with France, who would be competitive opposition for the Lions women’s team. The British and Irish Lions were also inspired by the country’s record hosting of the World Cup in 2022, which retrospectively served as a blueprint for the 2027 tour.
“These games will be extremely competitive, but on top of that, we’re expecting sell-out crowds, so we’ll have passionate fans in full stadiums,” Lions CEO Ben Calveley said. “There will be high media demand, high levels of interest from broadcasters and so on. And most importantly, it is commercially sustainable, not only for the Lions but also for the hosts in New Zealand Rugby.”
Where will tours go in the future?
While New Zealand was the “unanimous” choice for the 2027 tour, France and North America have emerged as potential hosts for future women’s tours, which have departed from traditional tourist locations in the game. man.
“We’ve spoken to a lot of different countries around the world as you would expect and the good news is that there’s been a lot of interest,” said Calveley, who remained tight-lipped on what other nations cited as part of long-term plans. “New Zealand are back-to-back world champions and a nation so rugby-loving that the level of competition for 2027 would be significant.”
Won’t it be full of English players?
The short answer is yes. While the landscape of women’s rugby may change over the next three years, it is difficult to see the first Lions women’s team being fully representative of each of the home nations. England, who will be hot favorites to win a fifth successive Women’s Six Nations this year, were the first women to benefit from professional contracts five years ago. Wales, Scotland and Ireland have been slow to follow suit, although a large number of non-English players now play their club rugby in England’s top flight, Premiership Women’s Rugby, which could soon change.
Who is paying for it?
Money is often a sticking point in women’s rugby, which, for the most part, operates at a loss compared to the wealth of riches in the men’s game. For context, last year’s historic Red Roses Grand Slam final at Twickenham, which attracted a crowd of 58,498 in May, brought in around £1million for Rugby Football Union. However, Calveley has pledged that the 2027 women’s tour will be a sustainable commercial venture, having already secured two commercial partners in Royal London and Howden.
What are the next steps?
The Lions will put together an advisory group tasked with mapping out the finer details of the 2027 tour, including what warm-up games, recruiting a coaching staff and what the TV coverage will look like. “We know we are playing three Tests against the All Blacks, but the rest of the program will be determined and very importantly, put together according to the women’s specific guidelines currently being worked on by World Rugby and the International Rugby Players Association,” explained Calveley.
What does this mean for the wider women’s game?
Being selected to play for the Lions women’s first team could have been the pinnacle of some players’ careers. The Lions brand is undoubtedly prestigious and its venture into the women’s game should bring more attention to women’s rugby – some would argue it is overdue. But the idea of the world’s best homegrown players pitted against world champions New Zealand will do little to develop the competitive landscape of the women’s game. Indeed, the concept could hardly be further from what World Rugby is trying to achieve through WXV, the women’s global competition launched last autumn to give nations more Test opportunities in development of the women’s platform.
