2025 British & Irish Lions jet off to Australia in vastly different atmosphere
As the British & Irish Lions prepare to leave for Perth this weekend for the 2025 tour to Australia, the mood is much lighter and more jovial than four years ago.
That's because the world is a vastly different place from when the British & Irish Lions' 2021 tour to South Africa (SA) remained in the balance until the last moment.
The Covid pandemic meant the tour's feasibility and ability to go ahead was a constant roving target.
The pandemic brought the 2021 tour close to collapse on several occasions. The original operational and commercial plans, which in themselves were complex documents to agree on, had to be rewritten. And then rewritten again and again.
There was talk of playing the matches between the world champions, Springboks, and the Lions, outside of the Republic. Australia offered to host, but that was turned down for several reasons, including the unpalatable time zone for broadcasting.
Dubai was briefly discussed as an alternative because fans might be allowed, but that option quickly withered on the vine.
The most plausible scenario was moving the entire caravan to Britain with the Springboks playing tourists. That option, which was acceptable to both the Lions organisation and SA Rugby (Saru), hit snags because South Africa was placed on Britain's 'red list' of countries with Covid surges.
In the end, the decision to continue as scheduled in SA was made when there was only about a month to go, because broadcasters and sponsors needed clarity; and a host of other logistics providers such as hotels, security, medical services and transport needed to be finalised.
It went ahead and into the record books, but the overriding theme of 2021 was the empty Cape Town Stadium as the backdrop to what were three gripping Tests, despite the eerie surroundings.
More positive 2025 tour
The 2025 Lions tour starts on Friday evening with a match against Argentina in Dublin, although the official expedition through Australia kicks off in Perth on 28 June against the Western Force.
Friday's clash against the Pumas doesn't carry Test status — it should — but will be a vital pilot study for coach Andy Farrell and his 38-man squad.
There is also the question of money. The Argentina game will raise £2.55-million (R61-million), of which R21-million will go to the Pumas squad, which is a handy little bonus.
But for Farrell, the most important factor is allowing some game time for combinations after a brief training camp in Portugal so that the Lions don't arrive in Australia completely underdone.
That in itself makes a change from four years ago when the initial concerns were not so much over match-readiness but rather whether there would be matches at all.
In 2025, concern lies with whether Australian Rugby is up to the standard required to compete with the Lions.
There is some compelling evidence to suggest that Rugby (Union, not League) in Australia is suffering. The Wallabies are ranked eighth in the world, while Australia doesn't have a club that looks close to winning Super Ruby.
Almost two years ago the Wallabies failed to make the knockout stages of Rugby World Cup 2023, losing 40-6 to Wales, who have subsequently lost 16 Tests in a row.
The Brumbies made the 2025 Super Rugby semi-final but that hardly constitutes a tale of success for Australian rugby. And to further compound matters Rugby Australia (RA) announced a AUS$36.8-million (R430-million) deficit for the 2024 financial year.
Obviously, the Lions tour will bring in huge revenue to help offset those losses but the state of the sport in the country remains precarious.
This tour is explicitly 'expected to yield a record financial surplus', according to RA chief executive Phil Waugh.
Beyond 2025, Australian rugby is set to enter a new and significantly enhanced five-year broadcast cycle from 2026. The agreement with Nine Entertainment is projected to be valued at approximately A$240-million (R2.8-billion), representing a substantial 40% uplift from the current contract.
War of words
On the field, former Ireland coach and now Wallabies mentor Joe Schmidt, a New Zealander, threw some jibes at the Lions.
Schmidt is well known for his mind games and he immediately set the tone at the announcement of his first squad earlier this week, lobbing a jibe at the Lions' southern hemisphere players.
The tourists will have a cosmopolitan flavour, with two former Junior Springboks in the party to Australia, as well as two players born in Australia, and three in New Zealand.
Schmidt focused his barbs on Ireland's New Zealand-born centre Bundee Aki and Scotland's Australian-born midfielder Sione Tuipulotu.
He described the pair as a 'southern hemisphere centre partnership that will be pretty formidable'.
Former Junior Springboks Pierre Schoeman (prop) and Duhan van der Merwe (wing), who both play for Scotland, have also been included in the 38-man squad.
There are further Southern Hemisphere connections in the squad with the selection of the New Zealand-born Ireland duo of Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe, in addition to Aki.
Australian-born wing Mack Hansen, who plays for Ireland, was also included. Tuipulotu represented Australia U20s between 2015-17, but his maternal grandmother is Scottish. Hansen represented Australia U20s in 2018, but qualified for Ireland through his Cork-born mother.
The Lions shot back about the questioning of the Lions players' heritage through assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth.
'I don't know if they (Australians) are questioning their (non-British born players') commitment because you would argue their journey and how committed they have been to their country, whether that be Scotland or Ireland, England or Wales, everyone has earned the right to pull on the Lions jersey,' Wigglesworth said.
'They are, to a man, incredibly proud to be here. It is not your background or how you have got here, it is what sort of player are you and what sort of man are you? And we have got great men and great players.'
Van der Merwe brushed it off when asked about his heritage and credentials as a Lion, in an interview with The Guardian. He took some social media abuse when he was part of the 2021 tour, but he has learned to cope.
'I always knew they were going to get stuck into me,' he told the Guardian.
'There were a lot of personal messages on social media towards me. I just dust it off because I know how hard I've worked to get to where I am. 'You always have people on social media who are going to bring you down and slate you, but I've got to a point in my career where it doesn't faze me at all.' DM
Schedule
Friday 20 June
British & Irish Lions v Argentina
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Saturday 28 June
Western Force v British & Irish Lions
Optus Stadium, Perth
Wednesday 2 July
Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Saturday 5 July
NSW Waratahs v British & Irish Lions
Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wednesday 9 July
ACT Brumbies v British & Irish Lions
Gio Stadium, Canberra
Saturday 12 July
Invitational Australia and New Zealand XV v British & Irish Lions
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Saturday 19 July
First Test: Australia v British & Irish Lions
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Tuesday 22 July
First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions
Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday 26 July
Second Test: Australia v British & Irish Lions
MCG, Melbourne
Saturday 2 August
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