It’s been announced that the British & Irish Lions rugby union team will face Japan in Scotland on 26 June 2021.
The clash against the Brave Blossoms at BT Murrayfield in Scotland’s capital Edinburgh will be the first time since 2005 that the Lions have played a “home” fixture. The Lions’s last game in Britain was against Argentina in Cardiff, Wales.
Warren Gatland’s side will travel to South Africa in 2021 and the Japan game will be used as a warm-up for the summer tour, which features three Tests against the world champions.
Lions head coach Gatland said: “We saw Japan play some excellent rugby during the World Cup and they will come to Edinburgh fully-motivated to win. They are a talented side who play high-tempo rugby, so it’ll be a good challenge for us ahead of the Tour, and a chance for the match day squad to put their hands up for Test selection.”
Japan head coach Jamie Joseph added: “We are very much looking forward to playing a Test against the Lions next year. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our players, and we can’t wait for it to come.”
The Lions and Japan will compete for the Vodafone Lions 1888 Cup at the 67,000-capacity BT Murrayfield stadium, the home of Scottish Rugby. Fans can register for tickets at lionsrugby.com
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British & Irish Lions 2021 tour of South Africa
After their clash against Japan in Scotland, the British & Irish Lions travel to South Africa for their eight-match tour. The Lions play five warm-up matches before facing the Springboks, the reigning World Cup holders, in three Test matches.
- Saturday 26 June: British & Irish Lions vs. Japan (BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
- Saturday 3 July: Emirates Lions vs. The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg; 5pm BST)
- Wednesday 7 July: Cell C Sharks vs. The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg; 7pm BST)
- Saturday 10 July: Vodacom Bulls vs. The British & Irish Lions (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria; 5pm BST)
- Wednesday 14 July: South Africa ‘A’ vs. The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town; 7pm BST)
- Saturday 17 July: DHL Stormers vs. The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town; 5pm BST)
- Saturday 24 July: Springboks vs. The British & Irish Lions (1st Test, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town; 5pm BST)
- Saturday 31 July: Springboks vs. The British & Irish Lions (2nd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg; 5pm BST)
- Saturday 7 August: Springboks vs. The British & Irish Lions (3rd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg; 5pm BST)