Rugby: SA Rugby and British & Irish Lions confirm revised tour schedule! [update]

update (21 July 2021): SA Rugby and the British & Irish Lions confirmed on 20 July 2021 that agreement had been reached to conclude the Castle Lager Lions Series in Cape Town. The Series was scheduled to return to Johannesburg following the first Test in Cape Town on Saturday. All three test matches will now take place at the Cape Town Stadium (24 July 2021, 31 July 2021 and 07 August 2021). According to SA Rugby, the decision to remain in Cape Town was made following extensive consultation with medical experts on the risks associated with the delta variant of Covid-19.

update (01 July 2021): The kick-off in the Castle Lager Lions Series match between the Cell C Sharks and the British & Irish Lions at Emirates Arline Park in Johannesburg on 07 July 2021 has been brought forward by an hour to 19:00 (18:00 BST).

The South African Rugby Union (also known as SA Rugby) and the British & Irish Lions have confirmed a revised Castle Lager Lions Series fixture list and venues. In order to minimise the risks of disruption that could be caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, all eight matches of the tour in South Africa will be played in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. The schedule accommodates stable team bases and training venues and significantly reduces travel.
The British & Irish Lions Tour of South Africa 2021 ("Castle Lager Lions Series") will now kick off in Gauteng with three matches against provincial opposition in Johannesburg and Pretoria before moving to Cape Town for two more warm-up matches before the first test at Cape Town Stadium on 24 July 2021. The Castle Lager Lions Series then returns to Johannesburg for the second and third tests at the FNB Stadium. There is one team change in the revised schedule with the Emirates Lions replacing the South Africa Invitational team. The adjustment was made to reduce the risks associated with drawing a squad from around the country.  

Photo by Alberto Di Maria on Unsplash

SA Rugby is organising all games in the schedule to comply with the regulations on attendance as will apply at the time of play. All ticket holders for the original schedule will receive a full refund. SA Rugby also confirmed that South African resident ticket holders would have first right to purchase tickets for the revised schedule if restrictions on attendance at sports events were lifted.

The full Castle Lager Lions Series 2021 is:

• 03 July 2021: Emirates Lions v The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg) kick off 18:00 (SAT) / 17:00 (BST)
• 07 July 2021: Cell C Sharks v The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg) kick off 20:00 (SAT) / 19:00 (BST) 19:00 (SAT) / 18:00 (BST)
• 10 July 2021: Vodacom Bulls v The British & Irish Lions (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria) kick off 18:00 (SAT) / 17:00 (BST)
• 14 July 2021: South Africa ‘A’ v The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) kick off 20:00 (SAT) / 19:00 (BST)
• 17 July 2021: DHL Stormers v The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) kick off 18:00 (SAT) / 17:00 (BST)
• 24 July 2021: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (1st test, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) kick off 18:00 (SAT) / 17:00 (BST)
• 31 July 2021: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (2nd test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg) kick off 18:00 (SAT) / 17:00 (BST)
• 07 August 2021: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (3rd test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg) kick off 18:00 (SAT) / 17:00 (BST)

British & Irish Lions announce itinerary for 2021 Tour of South Africa! [update]

update (19 February 2021): There are rumours that the British and Irish Lions series against South Africa will be staged in Australia!

update (10 February 2021): According to World Rugby vice-chairman Bernard Laporte, a decision on whether the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa will go ahead will be made at the end of March 2021.

update (06 January 2021): According to news reports, the British and Irish Lions board is currently discussing three contingency plans for the 2021 British and Irish Lions' tour of South Africa: bringing the series to the UK and Ireland (Edinburgh, London, Cardiff, and Dublin), playing the series behind closed doors in South Africa, or postponing the tour until 2022. We'll keep you posted!

update (16 July 2020): SA Rugby and the British & Irish Lions confirmed on 15 July 2020 the 2021 tour to South Africa will go ahead as scheduled. The eight-game tour kicks off on 03 July 2021 when the Lions play Vodacom Super Rugby’s DHL Stormers in Cape Town.

The British & Irish Lions, a rugby union team selected from players eligible to play for the national teams of England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland, has announced the itinerary for the 2021 Tour of South Africa (03 July - 07 August 2021). The eight-game schedule includes three test matches against the Springboks in Johannesburg and Cape Town as well as three matches against Super Rugby teams (Vodacom Bulls, Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers) and two fixtures against an invitational side and South Africa "A" in Port Elizabeth, Durban, Nelspruit and Pretoria.

The British & Irish Lions have toured South Africa on 13 previous occasions, with the first Tour taking place in 1891. In that time, the Lions have won four Test series, lost eight and drew one. Their overall record against the Springboks is played 46, won 17, lost 23 and drawn six.

British & Irish Lions 2021 Tour of South Africa (03 July - 07 August 2021):

• Saturday 03 July 2021: British & Irish Lions v DHL Stormers – Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
• Wednesday 07 July 2021: British & Irish Lions v South Africa Invitational – Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
• Saturday 10 July 2021: British & Irish Lions v Cell C Sharks – Jonsson Kings Park, Durban
• Wednesday 14 July 2021: British & Irish Lions v South Africa "A" – Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
• Saturday 17 July 2021: British & Irish Lions v Vodacom Bulls – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
• Saturday 24 July 2021 (First Test): Springboks v British & Irish Lions – FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
• Saturday 31 July 2021 (Second Test): Springboks v British & Irish Lions – Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
• Saturday 7 August 2021 (Third Test): Springboks v British & Irish Lions – Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

Tour of the day: Big cat conservation holiday in Namibia & Botswana

Country: Botswana, Namibia
Departures: 2009: 16 Aug, 30 Aug, 20 Sep, 4 Oct, 25 Oct, 8 Nov
Price: From £1690 (13 days) excluding flights. Price includes food, accommodation and project contribution

UPDATE: Last minute deal GBP1500. Applies to 4 Oct, 25 Oct & 8 Nov departures only.

the things you'll be doing
On these wildlife volunteering vacations you will start at Victoria Falls in Zambia and then travel to the Caprivi delta of Namibia and Botswana to study lions, cheetahs and leopards and their interactions with the local human population. The Caprivi delta boasts the same amazing array of African megafauna as the Okavango or Chobe National Park, but without the crowds. In fact, it is virtually unexplored and unmapped, and your job on the expedition will be to track, capture and relocate (if necessary) lions, cheetahs and leopards in order to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. You will also help our scientists to map the area properly and talk to local people about how predators and people can live side by side.

the project
These wildlife volunteering vacations will conduct a survey of five of Africa’s large carnivore species (lion, leopard, spotted hyaena, cheetah and wild dog) their dominant prey species (cape buffalo, giraffe, red lechwe, puku, sitatunga, roan antelope, kudu, Burchell’s zebra, blue wildebeest, warthog, bushpig, impala, common duiker, steenbok, numerous small mammal, primate and bird species) and domesticated species such as cattle, goats, pigs, cats and dogs. We will capture, collar and monitor key study animals and respond to incidents of livestock depredation in neighboring communities.
The expedition will also survey human populations in the area, conduct investigations into the ecology of human-predator conflict (HPC) and contribute to the development of rural livelihood strategies that will promote coexistence between people and predators and be implemented on a national scale. The area is of very significant conservation importance but also experiences the highest number of HPC incidents in Namibia and some of the highest in Africa. Data collected by this expedition will be crucial in our mission to combat the top threat to carnivore conservation in Africa today, namely human-predator conflict.

more info & tour booking >>
online flight booking >>
tours & accommodation booking >>

Nelson Mandela Bay stadium: robbery at sports bar after Lions match

According to "The Herald" (PE local newspaper) thought to be bogus cops robbed one of the sports bars at the new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth right after the rugby match between the Southern Kings and the touring British & Irish Lions. A barman was robbed at gunpoint, no more incidents were reported.
The match was the first official sports event in the 48,000 pax capacity stadium, the first of five new World Cup stadiums to be completed earlier this month. Because of certain delays and other problems the stadium got axed from FIFA a hosting stadium for the ongoing Confederations Cup.

btw - check the comments made about the article in "The Herald"... interesting...

British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa 2009 - accommodation update!

The British & Irish Lions return in the European summer of 2009 ( 30 May - 04 July) for a tour of newly crowned World Champions, South Africa.
The Lions had a torrid time in New Zealand in 2005 and will be looking to emulate the South Africa tour victories of 1997. Don’t miss a second of the action, get your British Lions tickets now!

• Sat 30 May 15:00 Highveld XV v British & Irish Lions Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace
• Wed 3 Jun 19:10 Golden Lions v British & Irish Lions Coca-Cola Park - accommodation
  
• Sat 6 Jun 15:00 Cheetahs v British & Irish Lions Vodacom Park- accommodation
• Wed 10 Jun 19:10 Sharks v British & Irish Lions The ABSA Stadium - accommodation
• Sat 13 Jun 15:00 Western Province v British & Irish Lions Newlands - accommodation
• Tue 16 Jun 15:00 Coastal XV v British & Irish Lions Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium - accommodation
• Sat 20 Jun 15:00 South Africa v British & Irish Lions The ABSA Stadium - accommodation
• Tue 23 Jun 19:10 Emerging Springboks v British & Irish Lions Newlands - accommodation
• Sat 27 Jun 15:00 South Africa v British & Irish Lions Loftus Versfeld - accommodation
• Sat 4 Jul 15:00 South Africa v British & Irish Lions Coca-Cola Park - accommodation

Pre Packaged Self Drive British & Irish Lions Tours (with match tickets) are also available!

Flights to South Africa >>
Accommodation in South Africa >>
Rental Cars in South Africa >>
Tours & Safaris >>

British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa 2009

The British & Irish Lions return in the European summer of 2009 ( 30 May - 04 July) for a tour of newly crowned World Champions, South Africa.
The Lions had a torrid time in New Zealand in 2005 and will be looking to emulate the South Africa tour victories of 1997. Don’t miss a second of the action, get your British Lions tickets now!

• Sat 30 May 15:00 Highveld XV v British & Irish Lions Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace
• Wed 3 Jun 19:10 Golden Lions v British & Irish Lions Coca-Cola Park
• Sat 6 Jun 15:00 Cheetahs v British & Irish Lions Vodacom Park
• Wed 10 Jun 19:10 Sharks v British & Irish Lions The ABSA Stadium
• Sat 13 Jun 15:00 Western Province v British & Irish Lions Newlands
• Tue 16 Jun 15:00 Coastal XV v British & Irish Lions Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
• Sat 20 Jun 15:00 South Africa v British & Irish Lions The ABSA Stadium
• Tue 23 Jun 19:10 Emerging Springboks v British & Irish Lions Newlands
• Sat 27 Jun 15:00 South Africa v British & Irish Lions Loftus Versfeld
• Sat 4 Jul 15:00 South Africa v British & Irish Lions Coca-Cola Park

Pre Packaged Self Drive British & Irish Lions Tours (with match tickets) are also available!

Flights to South Africa >>
Accommodation in South Africa >>
Rental Cars in South Africa >>
Tours & Safaris >>