First Ever Women’s Lions Tour Launched
The British & Irish Lions has announced the first women’s tour will take place in New Zealand in September 2027.
The tour will see the Lions take on the Black Ferns in a three-match test series alongside pre-test fixtures and will not overlap with the men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.
Along with the announcement of the tour itself, UK-based mutual insurer Royal London has been confirmed as the founding partner of the Lions Women’s Team.
As per the deal, it will become the official front of jersey sponsor after initially funding the original feasibility study of the tour.
The partnership will also see Royal London invest in player development in each of The British & Irish Lions constituent Unions through the delivery of a special elite players’ Pathways Funding grant.
Global insurance group Howden has also been confirmed as the series’ title partner, which will see the tour named the Howden British & Irish Lions Women’s Series.
The deal also sees Howden become the official front of jersey sponsor for the upcoming 2025 Lions men’s tour to Australia.
Ben Calveley, Chief Executive Officer of the British & Irish Lions, said, “Supporting the growth of the women’s game is a key strategic priority for The British & Irish Lions as it is for each of our Unions. Significant effort has gone into exploring the concept of a Lions Women’s Tour and great credit needs to go to the members of our steering committee, our board, and our staff.
“In particular, I want to recognise the collaboration of our four Unions and thank them for their continued support and the level of commitment they have shown throughout this journey. I would also like to thank World Rugby for the reforms to regulation 9 which makes this Tour possible in 2027. We are also very grateful to all the clubs as well as wider stakeholders who have all been very supportive and accommodating during this process. We look forward to collaborating further with all stakeholders over the coming months to finalise plans for this historic Tour.
“It is also significant that we are announcing two major commercial partnerships for the Lions Women’s Tour today which is recognition of the huge potential of the Tour, the desire for large brands and organisations to be associated with it, as well as the growth of women’s rugby.
“Royal London has been an outstanding partner to The British & Irish Lions and a consistent advocate both for this Tour and for the women’s game. Their aim is to make a positive impact on women’s rugby and continue its growth and success story and we are honoured to have them on board.”
“We are thrilled to confirm Howden as the series title partner for the Tour to New Zealand. They have demonstrated a real appetite and desire to support the women’s game and get behind this Tour and we look forward to working closely with them in the years ahead.”
“Playing three Test matches against the current world champions, the Black Ferns in New Zealand in front of thousands of fans represents the ultimate challenge and makes for a fantastic sporting spectacle. We look forward to working with all our stakeholders including New Zealand Rugby to finalise an exciting inaugural Tour.”
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