The British and Irish Lions are to play 10 matches on their tour of South Africa next year, including three Tests against the world champions, the Springboks, organisers said on Thursday.
The Tests against the Boks will take place on June 20 in Durban, June 27 in Pretoria and July 4 in Johannesburg. No Test has been scheduled for Cape Town, the headquarters of SA Rugby.
”We are looking forward to touring such a wonderful country and playing the world champions on their own turf,” Lions chairperson Andy Irvine told reporters at the announcement of the schedule in Cape Town. ”The tour itself promises to be full of challenges in a country where rugby is a real passion, but I am certain that the 2009 Lions will acquit themselves well.”
Jonathan Stones, MD of SA Rugby, predicted the tour would be a box-office smash on a par with South Africa’s hosting of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
”The Lions tour will be a massive sporting event, on par with the Rugby World Cup, and is expected to be a huge success. We are putting in place an exciting programme and look forward to hosting this unique team. It is anticipated that South Africa will reap significant economic benefits from this tour,” said Stones.
Irvine said: ”Lions tours are unique events and as such are extremely popular. We are expecting tens of thousands of Lions fans to travel to South Africa in 2009 and are confident every one of them will come back with amazing memories.”
The Lions will play matches in seven cities over a period of six weeks, starting with a game against a Highveld XV in Rustenburg on May 30.
The tour schedule includes six weekend fixtures and four midweek matches. Apart from the three Test matches, there is also a fixture against the Emerging Springboks on June 23.
The Lions have toured South Africa on 12 previous occasions, with the first tour to this country taking place in 1891.
The previous Lions tour, in 2005, ended in an embarrassing 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand and widespread criticism of coach Clive Woodward’s decision to opt for an unusually large squad of 44 players for an 11-match campaign. — AFP, Sapa
Schedule
May 30: Highveld XV, Rustenburg
June 3: Golden Lions, Johannesburg
June 6: Cheetahs, Bloemfontein
June 10: Sharks, Durban
June 13: Western Province, Cape Town
June 16/17: Coastal XV, Port Elizabeth
June 20: First Test Durban
June 23: Emerging Boks, Cape Town
June 27: Second Test, Pretoria
July 4: Third Test, Johannesburg