British and Irish Lions 2021 tour fixtures, dates and TV channels for South Africa tour as Lions beat Japan in warm-up
THE British and Irish Lions will take to the skies and tour South Africa THIS summer for an eight-match tour after beating Japan in a warm-up game.
Reigning world champions South Africa will play host for the epic tour, with five other match being player in different locations – but there will be NO fans present for any game.
When and where will the British and Irish Lions South Africa tour matches be played?
These are the dates and venues confirmed for the 2021 fixtures so far, including a one-off warm-up game on home soil:
- Saturday June 26 – British and Irish Lions vs Japan
- RESULT: Lions 28-10 Japan
- Saturday July 3 – Emirates Lions vs British and Irish Lions
- Kick-off time UK: 5pm
- Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
- TV channel: Sky Sports
- Wednesday July 7 – Cell C Sharks vs British and Irish Lions
- Kick-off time UK: 7pm
- Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
- TV channel: Sky Sports
- Saturday July 10 – Vodacom Bulls vs British and Irish Lions
- Kick-off time UK: 5pm
- Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
- TV channel: Sky Sports
- Wednesday 14th July – South Africa ‘A’ vs British and Irish Lions
- Kick-off time UK: 7pm
- Venue: Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
- TV channel: Sky Sports
- Saturday 17th July – DHL Stormers vs British and Irish Lions
- Kick-off time UK: 5pm
- Venue: Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
- TV channel: Sky Sports
South Africa vs Lions tests
- FIRST TEST: Saturday July 24 – South Africa vs British and Irish Lions
- Kick-off time: 5pm
- Venue: Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
- TV channel: Sky Sports
- SECOND TEST: Saturday July 31 – South Africa vs British and Irish Lions
- Kick-off time: 5pm
- Venue: Soccer City, Johannesburg
- TV channel: Sky Sports
- THIRD TEST: Saturday August 7 – South Africa vs British and Irish Lions
- Kick-off time: 5pm
- Venue: Soccer City, Johannesburg
- TV channel: Sky Sports
In 2009, The Lions lost the test series 2-1 but after drawing their series against New Zealand in 2017, they’ll be hoping to repeat their victory in 1997.
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What TV Channel will the games be on and can I live stream the series?
- The 2021 Lions Tour TV rights have been snapped up by Sky Sports
- The matches for the three-Test rugby union series will be shown live and exclusively on Sky in the UK
- Sky Sports News will be reporting on the matches with information and content available on the Sky Sports App and via Sky Sports social channels
Will there be fans in the stadiums for the Lions vs South Africa tests?
No. The Lions tour with South Africa will have ZERO fans because of the coronavirus pandemic.
As with the rest of the world, the whole African continent has had an awful time with the pandemic and surges in cases have rendered it unsafe for supporters to be in South Africa for the tour.
The warm-up games against the regional sides will also have no fans.
Lions squad
Captain: Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
Backs: Josh Adams (Wales), Bundee Aki (Ireland), Dan Biggar (Wales), Elliot Daly (England), Gareth Davies (Wales), Owen Farrell (England), Chris Harris (Scotland), Robbie Henshaw (Ireland), Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Conor Murray (Ireland), Ali Price (Scotland), Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales), Finn Russell (Scotland), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), Anthony Watson (England), Liam Williams (Wales)
Forwards: Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Jack Conan (Ireland), Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Tom Curry (England), Zander Fagerson (Scotland), Taulupe Faletau (Wales), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Jamie George (England), Iain Henderson (Ireland), Jonny Hill (England), Maro Itoje (England), Alun Wyn Jones (c) (Wales), Wyn Jones (Wales), Courtney Lawes (England), Ken Owens (Wales), Andrew Porter (Ireland), Sam Simmonds (England), Rory Sutherland (Scotland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Mako Vunipola (England), Hamish Watson (Scotland)