2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
| 2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 June – 8 July |
| Coach(es) | Warren Gatland |
The 2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand will take place during June and July 2017. The tour will see the British and Irish Lions play 10 rugby union matches, including all five New Zealand Super Rugby franchises, the New Zealand Barbarians, the Māori All Blacks and three test matches against New Zealand. The Lions will look to win their first test series against New Zealand (commonly called the All Blacks) since 1971, while also making a first back to back series win, following a 2–1 series win over Australia in 2013, since their 1971 and 1974 winning series. The Lions will be selected from players that are eligible to represent England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Wales' head coach and 2013 test series winning coach Warren Gatland retained his role as head coach.
The 10-match schedule was announced on 9 July 2015, which will see the Lions play the New Zealand Super Rugby franchises for the first time. Previously, they played the provincial sides.
Initially, the Lions were looking to set up a match against the United States in America to open the tour, much like the Barbarians match in Hong Kong in 2013. However, on 6 July 2015, it was announced the idea had been scrapped due to some American players unable to be released by their clubs to make the match competitive enough. Also, a match versus the Pacific Islanders was proposed in 2014. The opening match of the tour was originally planned to be against a Provincial Union XV, however in March 2016, this was changed to the New Zealand Barbarians following their win over the Māori All Blacks.
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